Post by dan trittermaureen dowd, a highly respected nationally known columnist of the new
york times, which retains an historically fanatic proof-reading and
fact-checking corps ... in the course of her op-ed column this morning
Mr. Cheney and his "Gestapo Office," as Colin Powell called it, then
shoehorned all their MESHUGAS [SIC!] about Saddam's aluminum tubes,
weapons labs, drones and Al Qaeda links into Mr. Powell's U.N. speech.
make your check to daniel f. tritter, [LJO]. in the alternative, write a
letter to the times to inform them of their egregious error. they'll be
glad to hear from a noted scholar who is also a deadbeat wagerer.
Dan, many thanks for this. I do have one or two comments. First, I think you
are aware that the NYTimes makes errors. That is why they have a Corrections
section. Second, I wouldn't necessarily characterize Ms Dowd's usage as an
error. By the way, while I was at the Times site I did a quick keyword
search for 'meshugas' and only got three hits, two of which were for Dowd
columns and one was for a Lawrence van Gelder article. Remarkably, for
'mishegas' I got thirteen(!!) hits. One of them was of particular interest.
It was a review by Laurel Graeber of several children's plays, one of them
by the Folksbiene Yiddish Theater. And Dan, guess what the title was . .
this'll break you up . . . "Kids & Yiddish: The Mishegas Continues!" Isn't
that a riot, Dan? Not "The Meshugas Continues", but "The Mishegas
Continues". This play appears to be a sequel to an earlier play that the
Folksbiene Yiddish Theater staged entitled "Kids & Yiddish 2001: A Space
Mishegas". Incidentally, Dan, did you know that the Folksbiene is the oldest
and only Yiddish theatre in the United States ? Want to know more?
__________
o A nonprofit organization governed by a board of directors made up of
representatives from the Jewish, artistic and business communities and a
professional staff of full and part-time employees
o A cornerstone of Yiddish cultural life in the New York region and beyond
in its 85th year of producing new and classic Yiddish plays
o Expanding its focus and diversifying its annual season to include
concerts, children's programs and staged readings
o A training ground for new generations of Yiddish and non-Yiddish theatre
artisans and a living educational resource for students of Yiddish and
Jewish history and culture
o A recipient of the 1999 Liberty and 1995 City Lore Awards
o A provider of subsidized admissions for Senior Citizens and students
o Creating diverse outreach opportunities, including Director's Forums,
Single's Nights, Mother-Daughter performances and educational programming
o Forming partnerships with other area agencies including the Lower East
Side Tenement Museum, the Eldridge Street Synagogue, the New Center for
Jewish History, the Lower East Side Conservancy and the Museum of Jewish
Heritage
o The recipient of a New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Public
Service Award Grant (May 2001)
o In the first forty years of its existence the Folksbiene had produced 48
plays by Yiddish playwrights and 15 plays by non-Jewish playwrights. In
addition to the full-length plays by 43 playwrights the company performed
many one act dramas and comedies.
__________________
With that pedigree you'd think they could spell meshugas. Here's their link:
http://www.folksbiene.org/!homepage.htm
Have a look . . while you're there you may want to send them a strong email
about their careless spelling.
Getting back to our dispute, I have never claimed that "MESHUGAS" is not an
accepted spelling. As you know quite well, my claim was that I didn't
misspell 'mishegas'. You insisted that I did so, and you referred me to "The
Joys of Yiddish" as proof. You also know quite well, I demonstrated that
TJOY not only failed to support your position but, on the contrary,
supported my position. This is irrefutable. Even if it were not so you still
lose. Let me repeat, my claim was that I didn't misspell 'mishegas'.
Mishegas is spelled m i s h e g a s.
Incidentally, I have come across a website that sells T-shirts, coffee cups
and tote bags decorated with the word MISHEGAS. I couldn't find any for
meshugas. I have ordered one of each for you. I figure they will come in
handy when you next trundle off to the Med with Jacqueline. For a sneak peek
go here: http://www.cafepress.com/def_mishegas
You will also be amused by another site I came across which enables one to
manage his Mishegas Emotions. It worked for me so maybe it'll help you too.
It's worth a shot: http://www.smileproject.com/farklempt/rules/ .
When may Mr Meyer expect the ten grand that you owe him for your Daniel
Malan Mishegas?
Little Jimmy Olsen, feeling guilty for shooting fish in a barrel . .