Barry Popik researches the origins of American phrases and sayings, tracing them to their earliest printed uses.
HN links it for etymology of idioms like 'lose money on every sale but make it up on volume,' dated to 1833.
Every time one of those "Ask HN: How do I get a job" comes around, I comment on the importance of networking over throwing resumes into an abyss. Inevitably, someone talks about how they got a great job with a cold application. It's not that it is impossible, it is that it is less probable. It's great to see articles that can support and explain this fact. As engineers, we tend to want to see raw brain power and experience be the yard stick for hiring. But for better or worse, "people" get involved, and suddenly there are a whole bunch of other metrics. The reality is that the 100+ year old phrase is still largely true today: "It's not what you know, it's who you know" (http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/its_not_what_you_know_but_who_you_know/).
"A rule of etiquette -- in business, at the dinner table, at the barbershop and elsewhere -- is 'never talk about religion or politics.' These subjects are highly contentious and usually result in heated argument instead of general agreement. 'Never discuss religion or politics with those who hold opinions opposite to yours' has been cited in print since at least 1840. 'Do not discuss politics or religion in general company' is from 1879."
https://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/never_talk_about_religion_or_politics_etiquette_rule
I think we will somehow survive as a society without hearing this dude's thoughts on incest. And yes, I think people would be better served spending their time on hobbies than arguing politics on the Internet.
Oh lord, there's no such thing as a "self-made man" or "pulling oneself up by their bootstraps". It takes one or more rich investors or already having money, customers, employees, partners, vendors, and distributors taking chances on them. To deny this is to give oxygen to the mythologies of hyperindividualism is "good" and success is "achievable" in a vacuum of solitude. It's a lie that denies the credit to those who assisted in the amassing of wealth.
https://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/pull_yourself_up_by_your_bootstraps/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatio_Alger
https://ideas.time.com/2012/09/07/the-myth-of-bootstrapping/
https://www.democracynow.org/2023/3/29/alissa_quart_bootstrapped_book_american_dream
That had a literal meaning at one point, but then it got diluted.
Newspapers were published several times a day when I was a child, so the late edition would have things that happened in the afternoon.
If something very big happened, they would put out an “extra” edition and trucks would race to get the extras out to the newsstands, newspaper boxes, and corner stores.
A news agent shouting “Extra! Extra!” was originally informing people that something had happened and the news was in the freshly printed “extra” edition, so even if they’d already bought a paper that day, they’d be motivated to buy another.
https://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/extra_extra_read_all_about_it_newsboy_shout
Because of the polarization of American politics, the focus has moved away from progressing the country forward and more about scraping back any and all losses from one's political opponents.
It's very much like sports, and using self-serving interpretations of laws is not unlike a professional athlete taking a questionable-but-not-officially-outlawed performance-enhancing drug[1]. They're playing the game with the assumption that if they don't someone else will get ahead.
The only fair thing to do is to outlaw the (political equivalent of) their PED so they're allowed and able to play by the rules.
[1] http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/if_youre_not_cheating_youre_not_trying/
Your observations basically boil down to "my co-worker, who is Chinese, does not like raw fish, therefore..."
There are plenty of sushi restaurants in Chinatown: https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=sushi&start=0&l=p:NY:New_York:Manhattan:Chinatown
There are also traditional - and popular - Chinese dishes that involve raw fish: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusheng
You have to understand that Chinese people are huge gluttons (I say this without any judgement). They love to eat.. there are even idioms about it!
1) http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/they_eat_anything_with_legs_except_a_table_and_anything_with_wings_except_a