FORENSICS

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Dr. Goodword
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FORENSICS

Postby Dr. Goodword » Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:05 pm

• forensics •

Pronunciation: fê-ren-ziks • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun, mass

Meaning: 1. Formal public debate or the study debate; public speaking. 2. The application of technology to validate evidence in court proceedings.

Notes: The noun forensics is a relative newcomer to the lexical scene, still not found in most English dictionaries. Like linguistics, ethics, and economics, it is formed by adding a very busy suffix, -s, to the underlying adjective containing the suffix -ic, in this case forensic. Like all adjectives ending on the suffix -ic, we must add -al to this stem before the adverb suffix -ly: forensically. (Who knows why.)

In Play: Forensic police work has been a popular subject of US TV shows from Quincy in the 70s to the current multiple CSI (crime scene investigation) series: "Luther worked in the county forensics lab until he began to go bald and occasionally analyze hair from his own head in place of evidentiary locks." This word, however, still retains its original meaning (No. 1 above): "Many Americans would like to see their presidential candidates engage in more forensics and fewer personal attacks."

Word History: Today's Good Word comes from Latin forensis "public, related to a forum". Forum began in Latin meaning "market". The root of this word goes back to Proto-Indo-European dwor-/dwer- "door", also the origin of English door and Russian dver. The sounds [dh] and [bh] regularly became [f] at the beginning of Latin words. The Greek word for door was thurA, from the same origin. Latin foris "outside", containing the same root, underlies our forest and foreign, both borrowed from French after that language added its own flavorings. (There is no debate over whether we should thank Katherine Enderle for suggesting we take today's Good Word public.)
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Stargzer
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Re: FORENSICS

Postby Stargzer » Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:50 pm

• forensics •
...In Play: Forensic police work has been a popular subject of US TV shows from Quincy in the 70s to the current multiple CSI (crime scene investigation) series...
This finally sent me searching for the title of an ancient TV series about a crime lab. The nearest match I can find was called Diagnosis: Unknown, which aired in 1960, which is about the time I remember watching it. Since it was on so late I had to get permission to stay up to watch it.

I can't find any episode descriptions, but one that I remember was about someone found dead in their swimming pool, which was found out to be murder by electrocution. The other scene I remember was when they had a large assortment of glassware and glass tubing and bubbling liquids. A liquid finally drained into a beaker and the star took it and drank it while the detective looked on: "Ahh! Best cup of coffee I ever had!" Years later I recreated that scene in college P-Chem lab. Prof. Ricci asked what we were doing and I said "Extracting caffeine." We were drip brewing through a funnel and filter paper. He told us "You need a Saltex Extractor. It's like a percolator" and walked off. I have had better coffee, but it was something I'd waited 12 or 13 years to do. :lol:
Regards//Larry

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Postby gailr » Fri Mar 16, 2007 12:18 am

I imagine that was satisfying, Stargzer; however, we used to invite guys from the School of Mines to parties. They showed up with lab coats, goggles and blenders, and retired to the kitchen for Margarita Lab.

-gailr
relishing the olden days...

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Postby Perry » Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:43 am

Do we need forensics to discover why your bird is green, or is it from too much time in the Margarita lab?

Somehow I never learned the first definition of forensics. To quote Mr. Spock, "interesting".
"Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening all at once. Lately it hasn't been working."
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Stargzer
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Postby Stargzer » Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:39 pm

Given this is a hare-headed vulture, I'd venture it's just a spring thing.
Regards//Larry

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee

Stargzer
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Postby Stargzer » Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:43 pm

I imagine that was satisfying, Stargzer; however, we used to invite guys from the School of Mines to parties. They showed up with lab coats, goggles and blenders, and retired to the kitchen for Margarita Lab.

-gailr
relishing the olden days...
We had no frats where I was at, but we did Tappa Kegga Bru quite frequently. And Lord only knows what minerals the miners used ...
Regards//Larry

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee

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gailr
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Postby gailr » Fri Mar 16, 2007 10:50 pm

And Lord only knows what minerals the miners used ...
They were known to distribute the suspicious substance NaCl...
-gailr

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Postby Bailey » Fri Mar 16, 2007 11:04 pm

but they are 'sposed to NaCl with Au. Or at least Pyrite.

mark halite Bailey

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