python vs c#

[Sam Holden]

On Fri, 01 Oct 2004 02:34:33 -0400, Steve Holden <steve at holdenweb.com> wrote:
> Jan Dries wrote:
>
>> Bengt Richter wrote:
>> [... ]
>> 
>>>I almost posted a similar comment ;-) OTOH ...
>>>How many relevant points do you need to start a debate?
>
> Well, terrific. Now I get to talk about one of my pet peeves. A friend 
> just gave me a bumper sticker which, as a true (but hopefully liberal) 
> pedant I had real trouble with. It reads "Some village in Texas is 
> missing their idiot", and the reason for my perplexity was, while I feel 
> the sentiment it expresses is admirable (though perhaps mistaken: I only 
> wish George W Bush *were* as stupid as he manages to appear), I have to 
> take issue with the grammar used to express it.
>
> This particular pickle is a disagreement of number: since there is only 
> one village, the correct slogan should be "... is missing its idiot". If 
> you thought it was "... it's idiot" then take two demerits and refrain 
> from posting on c.l.py for 48 hours.

Their isn't necessarily plural so that isn't a problem. Since arguing
grammar isn't something I can do successfully, I'll instead resort
to an appeal to authority and say that one of the authors of 
"The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language" agrees with me:

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/000172.html

-- 
Sam Holden