Wordie: Earth: Comments

Comment by brtom, about 1 month ago

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:27:51 +0000

When I have thought of the welfare of the earth, the problems of its health and preservation, the care of its life, I have had this place before me ... Wendell Berry "A Native Hill"

Comment by whichbe, 3 months ago

Mon, 12 May 2008 04:18:13 +0000

You folks don't know this tellurian's chthonophagia.

Comment by yarb, 3 months ago

Sat, 10 May 2008 03:22:38 +0000

If it means the word fimbulwinter enters popular discourse, I'm all for it.

Comment by bilby, 3 months ago

Sat, 10 May 2008 02:21:41 +0000

I'd hate the end of the world to be accompanied by Ride of the Valkyries. That would ruin my day.

Comment by sionnach, 3 months ago

Sat, 10 May 2008 02:08:59 +0000

Dateline: Valhalla. Twilight.

Rumblings continue to emanate tonight, as the anger of the Gods continues to mount. Ever since the rash statement on Wotans Day by the earthling, whichbe, palace sources report that the Gods are furious. In particular, Erda, Wotan's beautiful and wise consort, is said to be beside herself. Signs of the imminent eruption of her fury have been detected by seismologists all along the ring of fire, and air traffic controllers throughout the area have reported multiple sightings by pilots of angry, sword-wielding, Wagner-shrieking blonde Scandinavian women astride winged steeds of apparent equine origin.

It is unclear at this point whether global catastrophe can be avoided. U.N. leaders are actively seeking the hapless whichbe, who is said to be in hiding, with the purpose of securing the firstborn child for a sacrifice of propitiation. Ragnarok-watchers around the globe continue in a state of high alert.

Comment by rolig, 3 months ago

Fri, 09 May 2008 23:59:28 +0000

I am not a Germanicist, but my guess is that "earth" probably was named after the deity Earth (in Old Norse, Jörð), whom today we still remember in countless ways as Mother Earth, though I am not sure "named after" is the right verb when one is speaking of the manifestation of a divinity. The planet Mars was not "named after" Mars, the light it reflected from the sun was identified wih the god Mars. Of the traditional nine planets of the Solar System, only the three discovered in modern times – Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (recently demoted) – were "named after" gods; the others, including Earth, were identified with gods.

Comment by yarb, 3 months ago

Fri, 09 May 2008 23:20:37 +0000

Actually, whichbe, I'm pretty sure weight is relative. Strictly speaking the earth may have a mass of 6,588,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons, but since it is in orbit around the sun, it is weightless; it weighs nothing.

Comment by gangerh, 3 months ago

Fri, 09 May 2008 23:07:36 +0000

Very good, yarb. I suppose you're about to tell them where they can stick their jobs.

Comment by gangerh, 3 months ago

Fri, 09 May 2008 23:04:44 +0000

It doesn't matter how much it weighs, chained_bearth. They take that into account in the final calculation.

Comment by yarb, 3 months ago

Fri, 09 May 2008 23:02:47 +0000

...a Finnish recruitment company.

Comment by gangerh, 3 months ago

Fri, 09 May 2008 23:01:49 +0000

including a Wordie joke

Comment by gangerh, 3 months ago

Fri, 09 May 2008 22:59:23 +0000

everything else

Comment by gangerh, 3 months ago

Fri, 09 May 2008 22:57:08 +0000

And Uranus, named after

Comment by yarb, 3 months ago

Fri, 09 May 2008 22:28:13 +0000

What about Mars? Named after a chocolate bar. And pluto, named after a dog.

Comment by whichbe, 4 months ago

Wed, 07 May 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Earth is the only planet not named after a God.

Comment by chained_bear, 4 months ago

Wed, 07 May 2008 13:00:04 +0000

How much does the scale that they put it on weigh?

Comment by whichbe, 4 months ago

Tue, 06 May 2008 23:52:42 +0000

The Earth weighs around 6,588,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons.

Comment by skipvia, 9 months ago

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:21:04 +0000

A group of foxes