Re: [Thinkpad] OT: lower 48

I always say CONUS
Now I have no problem shipping to Hawaii, and have done so, but I always use
Priority Mail. The buyer just has to pay the freight, but it probably is not
that much. I just set up a shipment to the Marshall Islands, and it was only
$14.00 (for some drives, not a machine, but still).
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Ross" <ross@math.hawaii.edu>
To: "'Thinkpad List'" <thinkpad@stderr.org>
Sent: Wednesdy, September 08, 2004 7:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Thinkpad] OT: lower 48

> > "lower 48" refers to the 48 contiguous states which are south of
> > Alaska. At the moment it is idiomatic rather than geographically
> > accurate.
>
> Incorrect or nonsensical expressions shouldn't gain stature based on
> widespread or continued use. This particular expression should have
> been dropped the instant Hawaii was admitted to the Union. (I've heard
> people here use it too, which is even worse!)
>
> If someone advertises "sales only to the lower 48 states", does this
> mean I am excluded? What if they write "the 50 United States", and then
> refuse to sell to me because I am in Hawaii? (This almost happened to
> me a couple of weeks ago with ThinkPad memory.) How about "the 50
> continental United States" (this was their bizarre clarifying
> correction).
>
> Best is probably "conterminous United States", though even then people
> in D.C. would be unreasonably excluded.
>
> BTW, UPS does offer "ground shipping" from Hawaii to the mainland, but
> not the other way. This rates *two* "huh?"s in my book.
>
> > Consider, for example, "head over heals" as meaning something
> > other than how one normally stands.
>
> For what it is worth, the original 14th century expression was the more
> sensible "heels over head", and the new version was an 18th century
> inadvertant error, shunned then and now by people who believe their
> writing should mean what it says. See 'Port Out, Starboard Home' by
> Michael Quinion for a discussion.
>
> David ("paid to be a pedant") R.
>
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Received on Wed Sep 8 20:05:57 2004