"This is the rat that ate the malt .. "

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But first, we're going to have to talk about Clive ..
( .. then come back  .. )

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"Plates have plates and smaller plates and smaller plates upon them.And plates have plates and more plates And so ad infinitum."

Fig.1.  Clive's doublethink .. is locked by the limitations of a spherical Earth, continents that somehow morph into plates that "move" (crash-bang-wallop as well as a whole lot of other locomotions) "independently" (but are at the same time fixed), .. and is penalised with a 'Pinnochio' for inventing subduction zones to ameliorate the contradiction.  (a) Earth's rocky crust (/'lithosphere'; yellow).  (b) Continents assembled (green).  (c) Plate Tectonics' best dressed version of 'plates'; variation in colour tones distinguish continental lithosphere (light tone) from oceanic lithosphere (darker tone). ["Continents shrinking" + "subduction" = Plate Tectonics]

"Oh! How much? Are you sure you're not overcharging?"
"No Ma'am, we charge by the plate here."
"But, ..but, ...I only had noodles, ..one plate of noodles."
"No Madam. You had five plates. You see? This is one plate and here's another."
"Well I saw that when you served it. ..a crack running right down the middle and at least two others. .What sort of establishment is this, I thought to myself, ..serving cracked plates.. "
"Madam, I can assure you this establishment is of the highest integrity. You had five plates."
"But how can you possibly insist, .. when it is clearly one? The five you are insisting are merely cracks in one plate. It is One Plate."
"No Madam, I must insist. ...five plates."
<.....>
"I say, .. over there, ..How many plates am I holding in my hand?
"One plate, Ma'am."
"One plate. Thank you. And you over there?"
"One plate, Darl., ...Wanna root?"
"No thank you. ..There, you see? One Plate."
"No Madam, ..we disagree.  Five plates."
"Well, I never! How are we to resolve this?"
"It's very simple really. May I?"
"Oh dear! Now you've broken it."
"Yes, Madam, ..unfortunately we always have to do this. You see? Two plates. Now, you see? ..three plates, ..and four, ..and five.."
"B..but.. "
"No 'butts', .. unless you would care to take up that gentleman's offer. This establishment ensures Value for Money."
"But I only had one... I'm sure. "
"Madam, ..if you insist on not availing yourself of the extras... well, ..you can hardly say you are not getting value for money."
"I say, ..what can you possibly mean, sir? That I should be literally *screwed* as well?"
"Exactly Madam. Now, if you would be so kind, .. the Bill."

One plate? ... or several? Unity ( or not) is the question that underpins the dichotomy between Earth expansion and Plate Tectonics. ( "A plate with a crack in it is still one plate.") (Especially if that crack is growing.)

(Links to *bill/*semantics.)

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