To GNHQ

Is a poinsettia a miniature poinciana?

Later - While looking on the net to answer that question, I dscovered that poinsettias are shrubs or small trees, with heights of 0.6–4 m (2.0–13.1 ft). This surprised me, as all of those I have seen have been about a foot in height. I suppose they are grown largely for the C-word market, and sold while they are relatively small.

PS, They are not related, all they have in common is the scarlet colour.

ElderlyPerson

Lucca

EP. In answer to your original post, no I don’t want any sponsored discussions as I don’t see the need. And FannyCornforth has explained that your request to HQ would fall on deaf ears,

I do wish you would consider some of the more nutritious options suggested here, eg soup. Even if you bought tins of soup ? Puréed carrot etc is so easy and quick to make yourself.

GN is excellent for advice on everything from travel information to medical issues (thanks meryl !). Without needing a formal sponsored discussion.

However that is just my view, so please don’t be offended.

Ah, the disability of deafness used as a metaphor! Oh oh oh! Mainstream supremacy.

Nonsense. Sorry but it is.

Riverwalk

You never mentioned that you have desserts and shakes!

As I said, had enough of your diet.

Well, I was asked for an example of what I would suggest for a sponsored discussion. So I stated one. I was thanked. It all went from there. I was not asked what is your diet, I was asked for an example of what I would suggest for a sponsored discussion.

Lucca

ElderlyPerson

Lucca

EP. In answer to your original post, no I don’t want any sponsored discussions as I don’t see the need. And FannyCornforth has explained that your request to HQ would fall on deaf ears,

I do wish you would consider some of the more nutritious options suggested here, eg soup. Even if you bought tins of soup ? Puréed carrot etc is so easy and quick to make yourself.

GN is excellent for advice on everything from travel information to medical issues (thanks meryl !). Without needing a formal sponsored discussion.

However that is just my view, so please don’t be offended.

Ah, the disability of deafness used as a metaphor! Oh oh oh! Mainstream supremacy.

Nonsense. Sorry but it is.

You could have simply expressed your opinion as being that my idea would not be acted upon, without bringing in a metaphor about a disability that some people have.

I remember a few years ago the British Film Institute ruled that they would not support any production that depicts a bad person as having a facial disfigurement.

I am just suggesting not using metaphors that refer to disability issues.

ElderlyPerson regarding your above post.

Using phrases which include the words blind, deaf, lame etc has absolutely nothing to do with what the BFI challenged, ie the old fashioned Bond type trope of the ‘baddie’ having a disability of one kind or other.

Why you conflated the two is beyond me. It’s the same as when you bought school uniform rules into your thread about being tall. It makes a nonsense of your argument.

By conflating the two issues in your above post, you have pretty much, very wrongly, accused Lucca of being disablist.
Simply for using the expression ‘to fall on deaf ears’.

I think that you need to be a little bit more considerate of other’s feelings in actual practice, rather than getting on your theoretical high horse about these things.

(Apologies to any equines, either blessed or challenged in the height department)

EP I think that you owe Lucca an apology too.

ElderlyPerson just to clarify things

Do you have a medical disability that means you can only eat puréed food ?
Do you have a mental health problem that stops you from eating a ‘normal’ diet?
As you are highly intelligent and a great person for researching everything to the enth degree and it appears you live alone without any family ties and don’t go out so you have 24 hours a day to dwell on things or you could have 24 hours a day to teach yourself to cook these special dishes Then, if you are creative enough you can write a recipe book to help others who have problems eating everyday food This would give you a reason to think about others needs and stop you thinking about your own needs which happens when you are alone so much, you become swallowed up by your own fears and worries

Widen your life even if it’s inside four walls

What a lovely, thoughtful post BlueBelle

But what if someone at GNHQ is deaf, has got a job where speaking and listening is not needed to do the moderator role in a text-based environment and reads through this?

In my opinion, the bit about bad people being portrayed as scar-faced, or walking with a limp as in the movie TheBlack Arrow and describing something as "would fall on deaf ears" is all part of the same thing, of using disability as a metaphor.

No it isn’t. It really isn’t.
I’m not going to go into the whys and wherefores because it will fall upon deaf ears.

You can’t go about censoring language and claiming to see offence where there is none.

I’m disabled. So is my husband.
I’m not going to go into more details about my family, but you need to stop thinking that you can speak for whole swathes of different people

And why are you so concerned about offending the so called moderators or any other GN staff?
You don’t mention the possibility offending actual members of the GN community with hearing impairments?
Why such interest in the staff; getting in the daily email; getting a blue response from the GN staff etc?

Another suggestion for a sponsored discussion.

There are artists who paint pictures and sometimes sell the originals and sometimes choose to keep them.

They also get a high quality photograph of their picture made and then sell a limited edition of fine art prints, sometime framed, sometimes not framed, sometimes with a choice for the purchaser.

They sometimes also get A5 size greetings cards featuring the painting, and then these get packaged in clear envelopes and sold, some directly from the artist, some from visitor centres and some from shops.

Such cards often have the name of the artist, a postal address of his or her studio or gallery, and a website address.

So maybe a sponsored discussion led by such an artist from, say Thursday morning to the next Wednesday evening, with the artist reading and posting from time to time during that week would be good. So something for everybody interested in art, ranging from around £2 for a card to perhaps £500 for an original with a framed print somewhere in between. Perhaps far more effective for an artist than just a static advertisement.

The cards are often of what is known as the blank card type in that the inside of the card is blank, so if used as a greetings card the sender may use it for any occasion as desired.

There is also the following site, I have not bought anything there as yet, but maybe that business might like to hold a sponsored discussion.

www.theblankcardcompany.co.uk/index.html

Sometimes people buy a blank card to send, sometimes to keep, possibly framing it, sometimes buying two the same - one to send, one to keep.

A blank card framed in an oak effect frame can look quite spectacular, and not be very expensive.

www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/308622478

I have never found a frame designed for A5 size, but that may be because a lot of frames are sold to suit the sizes often used for photographs, so a frame for 10 inches by 8 inches is larger than needed, but the effect is quite distinctive.

Framing a card is good, even if the framed picture is usually stored in a drawer or cupboard due to lack of wall space as it is an art object and less likely to be forgotten or discarded.

Thanks FannyCornforth

FannyCornforth

No it isn’t. It really isn’t.
I’m not going to go into the whys and wherefores because it will fall upon deaf ears.

You can’t go about censoring language and claiming to see offence where there is none.

I’m disabled. So is my husband.
I’m not going to go into more details about my family, but you need to stop thinking that you can speak for whole swathes of different people

I don't think that I can speak for anybody other than myself.

I do not purport to speak for anybody other than myself.

I consider it is wrong for people to use a metaphor that refers to a disability.

Add comment | Report | Private message | Quote ElderlyPerson Sat 25-Sep-21 07:01:06
But what if someone at GNHQ is deaf, has got a job where speaking and listening is not needed to do the moderator role in a text-based environment and reads through this

Ah - a classic case of “what ifery “

Irrelevant

FannyCornforth

And why are you so concerned about offending the so called moderators or any other GN staff?
You don’t mention the possibility offending actual members of the GN community with hearing impairments?
Why such interest in the staff; getting in the daily email; getting a blue response from the GN staff etc?

Because the quote had

> ... has explained that your request to HQ would fall on deaf ears,

So the disability metaphor was linked to the people at HQ, not to members of the GN community.

But yes it could be offensive to some members of the GN community too, and you are correct that I did not mention that.

Because only the people at GNHQ can act upon the suggestions for sponsored discussions.

And it is an achievement if a topic that I initiate is sufficiently discussed by the community and valued by GNHQ that it gets selected for publicity in the Gransnet Daily email.

EP Amazon sell frames in all manner of finishes and sizes , including A5.
I’ve got a few vintage Vogue covers which I have framed.

MayBeMaw

Add comment | Report | Private message | Quote ElderlyPerson Sat 25-Sep-21 07:01:06
But what if someone at GNHQ is deaf, has got a job where speaking and listening is not needed to do the moderator role in a text-based environment and reads through this

Ah - a classic case of “what ifery “

Irrelevant

'What if' consideration can be very important, and often is.

I habitually use 'what if' consideration.

For example, some time ago, there was a power cut late one evening, after dark. Fortunately I was standing in my bathroom, but was due to go down stairs shortly afterwards.

I thought 'what if I had been going down the stairs at that time?'

So now, I always have my hand continuously on the hand rail as I go down the stairs, on awareness of the possibilty of a power cut, just in case there is a power cut when I am in motion on the stairs. Not only at night, so as to have the same rule each time.

So am I to assume that I can’t tell anyone I’m going on a blind date ? Or mention that my friend is crippled with debt ?

Right. That’s it. I’m hiding this thread.

I said that about the last thread that got on my goat / wick (apologies to goats / wicks).

Foolishly I un-hid it, which unfortunately and, again, foolishly found me getting myself into trouble.

I’m not going to get myself involved any further in any of this

That wasn’t in response to you Lucca!

There are artists who paint pictures and sometimes sell the originals and sometimes choose to keep them

With all due respect, this is beyond naive and simplistic.

They also get a high quality photograph of their picture made and then sell a limited edition of fine art prints, sometime framed, sometimes not framed, sometimes with a choice for the purchaser.

They sometimes also get A5 size greetings cards featuring the painting, and then these get packaged in clear envelopes and sold, some directly from the artist, some from visitor centres and some from shops.

Such cards often have the name of the artist, a postal address of his or her studio or gallery, and a website address.

So maybe a sponsored discussion led by such an artist from, say Thursday morning to the next Wednesday evening, with the artist reading and posting from time to time during that week would be good. So something for everybody interested in art, ranging from around £2 for a card to perhaps £500 for an original with a framed print somewhere in between. Perhaps far more effective for an artist than just a static advertisement.

I’m afraid this is too full of holes
You clearly have little idea of how the commercial greetings card industry operates. Prints are not “photographs” of originals, Card manufacturers (which may be galleries or other institutions producing “fine art” cards) )will have a contract with an artist to use their work - or pay copyright if applicable. And quality fine art cards sell for rather more than £2.
If you think an artist can earn a living by charging just £500 for an original painting you are living in cloud cuckoo land.
Nor do they “advertise” their work - they may exhibit in smallish private galleries, have patrons who promote their work, even display them in trendy cafes and restaurants to brig them to the public’s attention.
So a bit of a non- starter in every respect.

Lucca

So am I to assume that I can’t tell anyone I’m going on a blind date ? Or mention that my friend is crippled with debt ?

It is all very difficult. Some of these expressions about disability and the linking of disability to nastiness as in the film The Black Arrow go back a long way. Also metaphors linking innocent animals to nastiness in some people. It is interesting to try to find alternative ways to express such things. 'Burdened with debt' is easy to find, but the other one is problematic, but an interesting puzzle to try to resolve.

Incidentally when the idiom about a goat was used some time ago in another thread, I looked it up, and it is quite fascinating. Apparently in order to calm a nervous horse before a horse race, a goat was put in with the horse in its stable overnight. Getting someone's goat refers to someone having removed the goat so as to spook the horse so as to affect its performance in the race.

‘What if’ can be very important to some people.

Years ago we had a tenant call us in a state of stress having returned from work to find that the newly laid kitchen floor had risen slightly in one place .
He was most insistent that the installer should return the following day to repair it as he said that couldn’t use the room .

My husband explained that he would contact them and get them to return as possible.

He became very upset , insisting it HAD to be repaired the following day because
‘ What if I go in there and trip over and bang my head and die ‘

I can’t begin to imagine how stressful this poor mans life must have been.

I think I must hide this thread too.

Lucca

So am I to assume that I can’t tell anyone I’m going on a blind date ? Or mention that my friend is crippled with debt ?

Turn a blind eye, Lucca?