Hello Folks,
    Here’s an Old English word which sounds like it ought to be old-fashioned but it is actually very much in vogue, Dearth.

    Dictionary.com defines the word thusly:

    dearth    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (dûrth)
n.
A scarce supply; a lack: “the dearth of uncensored, firsthand information about the war” (Richard Zoglin).
Shortage of food; famine.
 
    Some other examples:

    1) "The Eskimos built their houses out of snow because their was a DEARTH of wood in their environment."—- Thornton Perry

    2) There is a DEARTH of talent among today’s rock singers. I agree with the guy who wrote in the paper the other day that they don’t have half the talent of the groups of the 1960’s.

    3) Michael Savage asked why there was a DEARTH of outrage from Muslims after the Fallujah killings and even from the White House.

    Can any of you think of some examples of your own?
Some of you must have heard the word used lately.

I have usually heard it used sarcastically!

"A dearth of homework, and no  time to do it!"

"Well, aren’t you a dearth of information about sorority girls?"

"The dearth of scarcity was famine of restraint."

Sitran

   Good reply, Sitran. Certainly other people on this site must have heard the word too unless they’ve all been living under a rock.

   —- Brian Costello

Dear Brian,

I’ve finally figured out what’s so irritating about some of your posts. Please take this in the spirit in which it’s intended.

First there’s this:

Can any of you think of some examples of your own?

You sound like a 2nd Grade schoolmarm. There will be a test on Monday. Jimmy, please stop picking your nose.

Then there’s this:

Good reply, Sitran.

Sitran got an A. Sitran’s posts are always intelligent and erudite. But it sounds, Brian, as though you’re grading us.

I’m very pleased that you’re a part of this Agora. You have knowledge and insights that are a great part of what we like about this place.

Please just skip the schoolmarm crap. Some of us have been around for a while. We hold down important (or at least well-paid) jobs in the real world. We don’t respond very well to schoolmarms. We’ve kinda left that all behind us.

I mean what I say here in the nicest possible way. It’s really a case of verbum sapienti satis est.

- PW

Dear Palewriter,

  Chill out. It sounds like you’re having a bad hair day and that’s the worst time to write.

  When I’m having a bad hair day I like to remind myself of this Chinese proverb:

   Write no letters when seized by anger
   Make no promises  when seized by joy

  For the record , in the future, I suggest we avoid the ad hominem or personal attacks and stick to the issues. There’s too much danger of a lawsuit with personal attacks, and people do sue internet companies.

  The issue here is not Brian Costello but the word "Dearth". You may choose to discuss it or leave it alone. But please, let’s stick to the topics on these threads.    

   Sincerely,
   
   Brian Costello

Chill out? Ha ha.

- PW

Costello:

  For the record , in the future, I suggest we avoid the ad hominem or personal attacks and stick to the issues. There’s too much danger of a lawsuit with personal attacks, and people do sue internet companies.  

You, sir, are off my list!  You are a condescending know-it-all! Everyone knew that from the beginning!

We put up with alot here.  You are certainly welcome to post, but everyone should be able to take a bit of criticism now and then.  Your over-reaction is childish.  If you really want to gain some respect go back to the color thread and apologize for making up the fact the "sea-green" is a basic color of the the modern Greek language (and the Greek mind).  The seas in Greece are crystal blue!

PW:

Please take this in the spirit in which it’s intended.  

Costello:

But please, let’s stick to the topics on these threads.      

Have you ever tried to shepherd a herd of cats?

Everyone is free to make associations and joke and give advice here.  Wanted or not!

I have noticed that you sometimes "edit" "copy" "delete" a part and then post it again after you have recreated the topic.

That gets old really fast!

Please do not do that!  It creates an ugly thread, and who wants to post on a thread like that, where whatever they say may be edited away!

We put up with you, you put up with us!  It works better that way!

It’s kind of like a "give and take", a dialogue of sorts that doesn’t always go where you want it to, but may end up there if you are patient and persistent!

If you don’t like it that way, perhaps you are better suited to talking with yourself!

Good Day!

Sitran

for what it’s worth, i interpreted brian’s law suit comment as a general one regarding personal attacks and resulting lawsuits internet-wide.  i did not think he was threatening anything or anyone, but offering general reasons why a personal attack on him should be discouraged by the website at large.  

and i have no intention of taking sides here, but, i’m sorry, i thought the bad hair day comment was hysterical.

david

Dear Katy, Sitran, Palewriter,

  Smit is basically correct although my response to Palewriter’s post was at most no more hysterical than his. Let’s stop the double standard stuff where some people on this site are more privalaged than others because they are higher on a pecking order or have been on this site longer than myself.

  We all have a right protected by the first amendment to commuicate on this site short of hurling insults.

   You all have the right to ignore my posts if you don’t wish to read them though I think you could learn some things from them. Vice versa, I have learned some things from corresponding with some of you, so it’s never a one way street.

    I get the impression that on this site as well as others I’ve corresponded on that some of you are not really interested in the topics. You are simply lonely people who want someone to talk too. That’s sad, kind of unfortunate but bottom line, I can live with it.

    In the future let’s dispense with the insults and personal attacks (Palewriter committed a huge error calling me an "idiot" on this site ) and stick with the topics as much as possible. I thought that I had that agreement with you, SITRAN. You are going back on your word. Some of you can have a clique and play politics amongst yourselves if you want  but I think it’s wrong and want no part of it.

   I’m open to further discussion if any of you care to get back with me. Otherwise,  I’m going to continue to post topics which I think might be of interest to logophiles and linguists out there and ignore what some of my detractors are trying to say. If things get too bad I will go to the site administrator, but I don’t think that’s what you all want. In fact, it is technically the first step towards any legal proceedings.

    Try to have a good day, all of you!
    Sincerely,

    Brian Costello

Brian, just remember that trying to learn sometimes gets in the way of learning.  If you hadn’t been so bent on being the "owner" of this thread, you would have been able to listen to PW’s criticisms for the truths they contain, and learn from them.  So what if he was having a bad hair day?  You do act like a schoolmarm, and you need to get over it already.

Please continue to post, but get over the schoolmarm issues.

I’m open to further discussion if any of you care to get back with me.

Case in point.  We’re not getting "back with you".  We’re discussing a topic of interest to everyone.  Unless you pose a specific question, chances are people who post here are writing to everyone, not just you.

There are discussion boards out there that do things differently, to be sure.  We aren’t one of them.  A thread can be initiated by anyone, but NO ONE owns the discussion, the way I see it.

-Tim
Legal action?  Please…

   Dear Tim,

     I knew you would reply and thank you for getting back with me but please  remember this: Derogatory remarks are not allowed even in your workplaces much less in a public forum on the internet. I received several of them yesterday from Palewriter yesterday and he should really apologize.

      Tim, you have a tendancy to stick up for people who you feel are in your clique. That’s not good. You need to distance yourself more from them and abide by what the rules and regulations of this web site are. You need to realize that derogatory remarks are against the law and that personal attacks on anybody corresponding on this site open the way up to lawsuits.

       I don’t think I own this site. I’m not that naive. What do I see here, however, is a clique which tends to dominate the site and shun or marginalize people who are not in the clique.  Let’s see if we can improve this situation in the future.

        Short of that, I’m not going to tell any of you on here what to say or how to say it. But, by all means, avoid the insults and personal attacks. That just makes common sense. If you find me quaint or distasteful, you can always ignore my posts. That’s your privalage. But this is an open forum and anyone can comment or dialogue on it.  I’m mainly interested in an exchange of ideas myself  and I’m sure there are others out there who would rather be exchanging ideas than playing tiddly winks and backstabbing and badmouthing people.

       Sincerely,
       Brian Costello
       Seattle, Wa.
         

 Dear Katy,

  This is getting into personal attacks and is what I’m trying to tell all of you to avoid. You can’t do this with your co-workers in the workplace and it’s risky and again’ the law to do it with people on the internet. Let’s try to stick to talking about words, idioms, etymologies and languages etc. . At least with me. Ultimately, what you say to Tim, Sitran or Palewriter is your own business. Now, Stargazer’s remark "turkey" was derogatory and  offensive or could at least be interpreted that way even if he meant it as humor and he should not have said it. By sticking up for him you are simply reinforcing my notion that there is a clique mentality on this site.

    Respectfully,
    Brian Costello

[quote author=brian_costello link=board=wordsuggest;num=1081403040;start=0#13 date=04/09/04 at 16:17:52]    Dear Tim,

Dear Brian, stop it with the Dear John’s already.  Lighten up.  Chill out.

[quote author=brian_costello link=board=wordsuggest;num=1081403040;start=0#13 date=04/09/04 at 16:17:52]      I knew you would reply and thank you for getting back with me

You’re so welcome!  It’s always such a pleasure being in one of your threads.

[quote author=brian_costello link=board=wordsuggest;num=1081403040;start=0#13 date=04/09/04 at 16:17:52]but please  remember this:

A kiss is just a kiss?

[quote author=brian_costello link=board=wordsuggest;num=1081403040;start=0#13 date=04/09/04 at 16:17:52]Derogatory remarks are not allowed even in your workplaces much less in a public forum on the internet. I received several of them yesterday from Palewriter yesterday and he should really apologize.

Right.  And that would be between you and PW.

[quote author=brian_costello link=board=wordsuggest;num=1081403040;start=0#13 date=04/09/04 at 16:17:52]       Tim, you have a tendancy to stick up for people who you feel are in your clique. That’s not good.

I would love for you to show me those times when I have shown such behavior, because I honestly strive to be fair-minded in all my posts.  If there is a history of such, I am more than willing to mend my ways.

[quote author=brian_costello link=board=wordsuggest;num=1081403040;start=0#13 date=04/09/04 at 16:17:52]You need to distance yourself more from them and abide by what the rules and regulations of this web site are.

More from whom, exactly…?  And exactly what rules of this web site have I broken?  This sounds like a pathetic attempt at bullying, to me.

[quote author=brian_costello link=board=wordsuggest;num=1081403040;start=0#13 date=04/09/04 at 16:17:52]You need to realize that derogatory remarks are against the law and that personal attacks on anybody corresponding on this site open the way up to lawsuits.

First, derogatory remarks are hardly against the law.  Here’s a word you may have heard of before: libel.  The Libel Defense Resource Center provides the following definition:

Libel and slander are legal claims for false statements of fact about a person that are printed, broadcast, spoken or otherwise communicated to others. Libel generally refers to statements or visual depictions in written or other permanent form, while slander refers to oral statements and gestures. The term defamation is often used to encompass both libel and slander.

In order for the person about whom a statement is made to recover for libel, the false statement must be defamatory, meaning that it actually harms the reputation of the other person, as opposed to being merely insulting or offensive.

Pay particular attention to the text that I bold-faced for you.

[quote author=brian_costello link=board=wordsuggest;num=1081403040;start=0#13 date=04/09/04 at 16:17:52]        I don’t think I own this site. I’m not that naive. What do I see here, however, is a clique which tends to dominate the site and shun or marginalize people who are not in the clique.  Let’s see if we can improve this situation in the future.

I don’t see a clique.  I see a core group of people who post more than the others and who find value in this site.  I also see funny people, thoughtful people, generous people, wisea** people, and cranky people on occasion, in this core group.  Guess what?  That makes them human.  I enjoy being around other funny, thoughtful, generous, wisea** humans.  The cranky ones I can sometimes do without, but everyone has a bad day every now and again.

By the way, you’re familiar with the term patronizing, aren’t you?

[quote author=brian_costello link=board=wordsuggest;num=1081403040;start=0#13 date=04/09/04 at 16:17:52]         Short of that, I’m not going to tell any of you on here what to say or how to say it. But, by all means, avoid the insults and personal attacks. That just makes common sense. If you find me quaint or distasteful, you can always ignore my posts. That’s your privalage. But this is an open forum and anyone can comment or dialogue on it.  I’m mainly interested in an exchange of ideas myself  and I’m sure there are others out there who would rather be exchanging ideas than playing tiddly winks and backstabbing and badmouthing people.

       Sincerely,
       Brian Costello
       Seattle, Wa.

Brian, I would like to remind you of the hideous post you directed to Stargzer back when you first joined this forum.  Get off your high horse.

With all due respect,
Tim Ward
Charlotte, NC

   Tim,

    I’ll say it again but not forever, stop the personal attacks. They are illegal on the internet. What does it take to make that clear to you?

    Respectfully,
    Brian Costello

Brian, I am seriously confused here.  What did I post that you consider an attack?

Seriously,
Tim

So, y’all having said all that, Brian, ARE you a teacher?

And…..

For a lawsuit to be successful I believe the plaintif must prove that he or she (or it, in the case of a non-human entity such as a corporation) must have suffered some material harm. From what I have seen in the  Agora anyone who tried to sue over anything posted here would have a very difficult time proving material harm, and might even subject himself or herself to a retaliatory suit based on malicious prosecution.

Sorry, Brian, I’m a relative newcomer here myself, but in this case I have to agree with Katy, Tim and PW.

As for the word "dearth", I have often used it myself in complaining to my wife regarding the "dearth" of ice cream in our freezer, ice cream being at the top of my list of vices, although as often as not I use the word "paucity" which is possibly less common than "dearth".

SR