NYTimes:The Miller case.
The Judith Miller case just gets curiouser and curiouser.
"Douglas Frantz, who succeeded Mr. Engelberg as the investigative editor said that Ms. Miller once called herself "Miss Run Amok"
"I said 'What does that mean?'" said Mr. Frantz, who was recently appointed managing editor at The Los Angeles Times. "And she said, 'I can do whatever I want.'"
Merriam Webster defines the adverb:
3 entries found for Amok.
To select an entry, click on it.
amok[1,noun]amok[2,adverb]amok[3,adjective]
Main Entry: 2amok
Function: adverb
1 : in a murderously frenzied state
2 a : in a violently raging manner a virus that had run amok b : in an undisciplined, uncontrolled, or faulty manner films ... about computers run amok -- People
Wikipedia defines running amok as follows:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_Amok
Amok, sometimes spelled amuck and often used as "running amok," is a Malay word which in that language means to be out of control.
The word is often used in English to refer to the behaviour of someone who, in the grip of strong emotion, obtains a weapon and begins attacking people indiscriminately, often with multiple fatalities. This could be used to describe the École Polytechnique Massacre, for example. The slang term going postal is similar in intent and more common, particularly in North America. Police describe such an event as a spree killing.
Some sources have identified Malays as having a particular tendency to run amok, making this an example of a culture-bound syndrome, but they are by no means the only people to do so. For example, W.W. Skeat writes in the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica: "A Malay will suddenly and apparently without reason rush into the street armed with a kris or other weapons, and slash and cut at everybody he meets till he is killed. These frenzies were formerly regarded as due to sudden insanity. It is now, however, certain that the typical amok is the result of circumstances, such as domestic jealousy or gambling losses, which render a Malay desperate and weary of his life. It is, in fact, the Malay equivalent of suicide. "The act of running amuck is probably due to causes over which the culprit has some amount of control, as the custom has now died out in the British possessions in the peninsula, the offenders probably objecting to being caught and tried in cold blood."
See also the development of the .45 caliber pistol in Wikipedia:
The weapon originated in response to problems encountered by American units fighting Moro insurgents during the Philippine-American War. The then-standard .38 caliber (9.65 mm) revolver was found to be unsuitable for the rigors of jungle warfare, particularly in terms of stopping power. (The Moros were found to be wearing improvised chest armor, and frequently used native drugs to inhibit the sensation of pain.) The Army briefly reverted to the .45 Long Colt revolvers which had been standard during the last decades of the 19th Century; the slower, heavier bullet was found to be more effective against charging tribesmen. An Ordnance Board, headed by John T. Thompson, concluded that a .45 caliber (11.4 mm) semi-automatic weapon would be most appropriate, and took bids from six firearms manufacturing companies in 1906.
That Ms. Miller would describe herself as Ms. Run Amok is instructive.
"Douglas Frantz, who succeeded Mr. Engelberg as the investigative editor said that Ms. Miller once called herself "Miss Run Amok"
"I said 'What does that mean?'" said Mr. Frantz, who was recently appointed managing editor at The Los Angeles Times. "And she said, 'I can do whatever I want.'"
Merriam Webster defines the adverb:
3 entries found for Amok.
To select an entry, click on it.
amok[1,noun]amok[2,adverb]amok[3,adjective]
Main Entry: 2amok
Function: adverb
1 : in a murderously frenzied state
2 a : in a violently raging manner a virus that had run amok b : in an undisciplined, uncontrolled, or faulty manner films ... about computers run amok -- People
Wikipedia defines running amok as follows:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_Amok
Amok, sometimes spelled amuck and often used as "running amok," is a Malay word which in that language means to be out of control.
The word is often used in English to refer to the behaviour of someone who, in the grip of strong emotion, obtains a weapon and begins attacking people indiscriminately, often with multiple fatalities. This could be used to describe the École Polytechnique Massacre, for example. The slang term going postal is similar in intent and more common, particularly in North America. Police describe such an event as a spree killing.
Some sources have identified Malays as having a particular tendency to run amok, making this an example of a culture-bound syndrome, but they are by no means the only people to do so. For example, W.W. Skeat writes in the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica: "A Malay will suddenly and apparently without reason rush into the street armed with a kris or other weapons, and slash and cut at everybody he meets till he is killed. These frenzies were formerly regarded as due to sudden insanity. It is now, however, certain that the typical amok is the result of circumstances, such as domestic jealousy or gambling losses, which render a Malay desperate and weary of his life. It is, in fact, the Malay equivalent of suicide. "The act of running amuck is probably due to causes over which the culprit has some amount of control, as the custom has now died out in the British possessions in the peninsula, the offenders probably objecting to being caught and tried in cold blood."
See also the development of the .45 caliber pistol in Wikipedia:
The weapon originated in response to problems encountered by American units fighting Moro insurgents during the Philippine-American War. The then-standard .38 caliber (9.65 mm) revolver was found to be unsuitable for the rigors of jungle warfare, particularly in terms of stopping power. (The Moros were found to be wearing improvised chest armor, and frequently used native drugs to inhibit the sensation of pain.) The Army briefly reverted to the .45 Long Colt revolvers which had been standard during the last decades of the 19th Century; the slower, heavier bullet was found to be more effective against charging tribesmen. An Ordnance Board, headed by John T. Thompson, concluded that a .45 caliber (11.4 mm) semi-automatic weapon would be most appropriate, and took bids from six firearms manufacturing companies in 1906.
That Ms. Miller would describe herself as Ms. Run Amok is instructive.
posted by matua105 at 11:47 PM
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