Jewish World Review Jan. 13, 2005 / 3 Shevat, 5765

Jeff Elder

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Consumer Reports

Curling your lip at that odd winter sport?; done v. finished; Why does a toaster have a "one slice only" side?; more


http://www.jewishworldreview.com | Q: I went to see a curling match, which is pretty exciting stuff as I'm sure you know. I was wondering, why don't women compete against men in this sport? - Curley


A: Like many Americans, I was mystified the first time I saw the odd behavior involved in curling: One person slides a heavy weight while two teammates furiously sweep the ice in front of it with brooms.


Watching the event in the Winter Olympics, I had but one thought: "How the heck did someone come up with this?"


But the more I learn about it, the more I like it. (It reminds me a little of playing shuffleboard in bars.)


Kathy Jackson is one of the leaders of the Triangle Curling Club in Raleigh, N.C.


Jackson told me the skill of the sport is in getting the 44-pound "stone" to curl as it travels 130 feet down the ice. The shooter controls some of this with his release; the sweepers control the rest. (Their sweeping action slightly melts the ice in front of the stone, altering its path.) Two four-person teams try to get their stones into a target area and to knock the other team's stones out.


Jackson, who's originally from the Toronto area, said this in response to Curley's question about men and women curling:


"It's like any other sport. Sometimes men want to play against men, and women want to play against women." But Jackson says people frequently do play in mixed teams, especially in social games. It turns out curling is a VERY social sport. A drink or two after a friendly curling game is not at all uncommon. (I KNEW I liked this game.)


The next Winter Olympics is in Turin, Italy, in 2006. If you need me I'll be training for Team America at the shuffleboard table.

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Q: My brother and I have discussed many times the common usage "Are you done?" We think this is incorrect, and should be "Are you finished?" Will you set the matter straight? - Jane Jackson


A: Jane, I'm based in Charlotte, N.C. Down here in the South the preferred usage is: "Are you done finished?"


Neither of the examples you gave is exactly correct, according to the English Language Institute at the University of Maryland. "`I am done/finished' seems to be ungrammatical, though quite common in spoken English," the institute says on its Web site.


"HAVE you finished?" is - strictly speaking - probably the correct present-perfect construction.


But I think you gotta let people talk.


Q: Why does a toaster have a "one slice only" side? - Kevin Rasmussen, Charlotte, N.C.


A: A toast! What an excellent idea, Kevin. Here's an elegant one, with a response:


"Cheers, Big Ears!"

"Same goes, Big Nose."

(And they say I'm immature.)


In the "one slice only" side of a toaster, there's a little metal strip called a heat sensor. As the coils heat up, toasting the bread, the heat sensor expands. It bends outward, touching another strip of metal called the trip plate, and as a result the heat is turned off. The browning control, the little knob you adjust for lighter or darker toast, moves these two strips of metal closer or farther apart.


The heat sensor, a very basic little thermostat, is calibrated for when there's bread in the slot. If there's no bread in there insulating the sensor from the coils, it will heat up too soon, and the toaster will turn off before your bread is sufficiently browned.


The word toast comes from the Latin root of torrere and tostum meaning to scorch or burn. (Untrue is the tale that early campfire toasting irons were turned with the feet, giving us the word toe-stir.)


People in the 16th century put little pieces of toasted bread in their drinks and saluted each other's health, giving us the other meaning of toast.


QUICK QUIZ


This quiz gets the goat of all Capricorns


1. What two Capricorns, both born Dec. 24, are portrayed in a current movie?


2. With what book's title did Henry Miller announce his zodiac sign?


3. She appeared in "The Godfather" at 26, and did a nude scene for a 2003 movie. She just turned 59. Who?


4. Who famously shared the ring in Manila, and also share the sign of Capricorn?


5. What bandleader, born Christmas Day, 1907, sang "Minnie the Moocher" as his signature song?


ANSWERS:


1. Howard Hughes and Ava Gardner


2. "Tropic of Capricorn."


3. Diane Keaton


4. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier


5. Cab Calloway

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Jeff Elder is a columnist for The Charlotte Observer. Comment or try to stump him by clicking here. If you send him a great question, he'll send you a Glad You Asked T-shirt.

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