From the monthly archives:

October 2009

HALLOWE'EN: the evening of October 31. (Dictionary.com)

October 31, 2009

In the need for transparency, let me tell you right up front that I’m not fond of the holiday Hallowe’en. I never have been. I have to be careful when I say that because it’s my younger daughter’s birthday. But she knows what I mean. The secular celebration of Hallowe’en is something that leaves me [...]

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BASSO OSTINATO: a bass line continually repeated. (Dictionary.com)

October 30, 2009

You don’t have to be a musicologist to have appreciation for the basso ostinato, a Latin term for a short, but strong, theme which plays continually throughout either a portion of a piece of music or the entire piece. It is found frequently in fugues. The repetition of this bass line gives substance to the [...]

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HARMONY: a consistent, orderly, or pleasing arrangement of parts; congruity. (Dictionary.com)

October 29, 2009

I’ve been to concerts of Barber Shop Quartets before, many years ago. There is a combination of music and entertainment which makes the concerts work, and I always begin with an appreciation for the tight harmony practiced by the participants. But I have to say that I can only listen to barber shop quartets for [...]

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WE'RE BACK !!

October 29, 2009

Earlier today we took a little trip into cyberspace. For several hours it wasn’t possible to get to this site. With a little help from Darcie, my instructor at Brown, we are back. Sorry for the inconvenience.

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CYNICISM: an attitude of scornful or jaded negativity of the professed motives of others. (Dictionary.com)

October 28, 2009

The growth in popularity of 24/7 radio talk shows and cable TV has brought with it a new communication sin: cynicism. For a long time we have expected sarcasm, biting humor and strong criticism from such sources. But in the past few years, it would seem, there has been a tendency for banter by talk [...]

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PROSELYTIZE: to induce someone to convert to one's faith. (Dictionary.com.)

October 27, 2009

I have been watching closely the reports of the Vatican having offered “free entrance” to unhappy Anglicans/Episcopalians who want to become Roman Catholics. As I understand it, even Priests and unmarried Bishops of the Anglican/Episcopal Church can be received and function as Priests and Bishops in the Roman Catholic Church. The factor that seems prominent [...]

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USURY: the lending or practice of lending money at an exorbitant interest. (Dictionary.com)

October 26, 2009

I expect you are getting the same letters in the mail that I am. They are from credit card companies telling me that they are going to raise the interest rates on balances on the cards to such levels as 24.9% and (in some cases) even higher. That, my good readers, is usury. There are [...]

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INTERFACE: a common boundary or intercommunication between systems, equipment, concepts, or human beings. (Dictionary.com)

October 25, 2009

I chose to follow the word interface because it is a good example of a fairly recently-created word that meant one thing when it was born, but has taken on a new meaning with continued use. There are a lot of these words in our language which we use all the time without thinking about [...]

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GERIATRIC: having to do with the elderly

October 24, 2009

Today my wife and I went to the local AAA to take a course about Driving for Mature Drivers. By taking it we get a reduction in our auto insurance. There we sat with a roomful of people our age or older. Some were dramatically older. It was scary, as a matter of fact, to [...]

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NAUSEOUS or NAUSEATED?

October 23, 2009

Probably some of you have already rolled your eyes. You may even be one of the people I have e-mailed to say that you have used the wrong word in your article. Well, this is early in my career as a blogger, so let me get it out on the table early on so we [...]

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