Siberian dilemma
n.— «One of the things that has happened is similar to what the military calls the Siberian dilemma. If you break through the ice, you have four minutes to live. If you pull out of the ice, in the frozen air you have two minutes—no good choice. Why you could say that the cuts were proportional, the impacts have been asymmetrical—rural sites have suffered disproportionally. The choice becomes core accreditation over community mission.» —in University of Alaska Retreat Notes, President’s Retreat For Staff Alliance Leaders (Anchorage, Alaska) Nov. 5, 1998. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell suggested answering with ahoy! but Thomas Edison was partial to hello! A fascinating new book about...
The edge of the Grand Canyon. A remote mountaintop. A medieval cathedral. Some places are so mystical you feel like you’re close to another dimension of space and time. There’s a term for such locales: thin places. And: did you ever go...