[lit-ideas] Re: Annie Proulx [antifreeze]
- From: "Andy Amago" <aamago@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 18 Dec 2005 15:10:01 -0500
> [Original Message]
> From: Robert Paul <robert.paul@xxxxxxxx>
> To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: 12/18/2005 2:08:54 PM
> Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Annie Proulx [antifreeze]
>
> >>>But if the antifreeze is diluted, then I'm wrong. I always thought
> >>>ethylene glycol was a good way to manage one's life once one decided
the
> >>>party's over. I'm not suicidal, just think everyone has the right to
> >>>choose their death. Of course the government for some strange reason
> >>>doesn't agree. Excruciating pain is not to be sought out. Maybe
that's
> >>>why antifreeze isn't pure ethylene glycol, to keep people from using
> >
> > it.
> >
> >>Well, it's the ethylene that's diluted in the antifreeze.
>
> > I'm not a chemist. Ethylene glycol is the molecule. To "dilute" the
> > ethylene part would be to change it into a different substance.
>
> Nonsense. To dilute something simply means to make it less concentrated.
> The molecules are 'farther apart.' Scotch doesn't cease to become Scotch
> just because water's added to it.
>
I read one post at a time, it's a bad habit I have. I meant to "dilute"
only the ethylene portion of the molecule. There's no such thing, it can't
be done. It changes the substance completely, which is in fact what
happened, so you're right, it became propylene glycol. We can take the
entire molecules and intersperse among them entire water molecules, like
diluting Scotch, and make a more dilute solution. So that's correct too.
> > I said I'm not suicidal. There are philosophical issues here that
don't
> > have ism's attached to them. For centuries, for all of recorded
history in
> > fact, death was just a part of life. People talked about it, accepted
it.
> > Now death is something that happens to others. Nobody talks about it
> > unless they're seriously disturbed as you obliquely point out. This
ethic
> > of life at all costs, to wit, Teri Schiavo, even as the planet is
destroyed
> > at the rate of 50,000 species every year is, in my opinion, warped.
>
> And this is relevant how?
>
See other post.
> > This is where I think you're wrong. From what read (and I read a *lot*
of
> > things) it's the EG that's inherently sweet. But I will defer to you.
>
> You're right. Although EG is odorless it apparently tastes sweet.
>
> > This is bizarre. Why would they put natural food coloring into
antifreeze?
>
> Well, they don't, really.
>
>
Agreed. What you meant by natural food coloring is the propylene glycol.
I got that now. I hope we're done.
> >
> >
> >
> > Seriously disturbed people do a lot of things, like invade countries
for no
> > reason. Nobody's championing all those animals in New Orleans who were
> > killed by poisonous water that resulted from lack of preparation. The
glee
> > in your words "seriously disturbed" invalidates any seriousness in them
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>Robert Paul
> >>Reed College
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