The word may have been hi-jacked by Randi & Co. in the USA, but over here it means the same as ever: someone who is sceptical, i.e. someone who doubts the truth or validity of something.
There’s a difference between ‘Catholic’ and ‘catholic’…
I was climbing on the Niagara Escarpment one spring and a boulder the size (and general shape) of a refrigerator came down quite suddenly about 70 feet from where we were.
The “freeze-thaw” cycles can cause a lot of instability. Water trickles into the various cracks in the rock face. When it freezes the water expands putting remarkable pressure on the rocks and pushing them apart. So in one season alone there can be a lot of tepperature changes, freeze-thaw, freeze-thaw. Rocks get loose, some collapse. It’s extremely hard to predict when and where it might happen.
Geez, just look New Hampshire’s Old Man in the Mountain… er, what was formerly the Old Man.
He was stuck for 5 days. If he had left his itinerary with someone, he would have been rescued by the end of day 3.
I think the question has been answered about as well as it can be in this forum. Those wishing to debate further or offer opinions are directed to other forums.
bibliophage
moderator GQ