From the monthly archives:

November 2009

MYOPIC: pertaining to or having myopia; nearsighted, unable or unwilling to act prudently; shortsighted (Dictionary.com)

November 20, 2009

Limited vision is nothing to laugh about. In a family in which macular degener-ation is common, and with early signs showing themselves in my own eyes, I find it frightening to think about living without being able to read or watch the Red Sox. I know that there are aural options, but it wouldn’t be [...]

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EXTEMPORANEOUS: done, spoken, performed, etc., without special advance preparation; impromptu (Dictionary.com)

November 19, 2009

——– One of the first classes I encountered in college (back in the Dark Ages) was a basic Speech course. The professor introduced a weekly experience in which he would choose classmates at random and ask them to come to the front of the room, face the class, and speak for six minutes (an eternity) [...]

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UNFRIEND: New Oxford American Dictionary’s Word of the Year

November 18, 2009

My friend, Tom, reports to me that The New Oxford American Dictionary has chosen unfriend as the word of the year. Evidently they do this every year, and, as in this case, the word is a new word which has been created as a result of technology or the latest popular usage. Those of you [...]

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CONURBATION: an extensive urban area resulting from the expansion of several cities or towns ….(Dictionary.com)

November 17, 2009

——- Rhode Island is unique in many ways. Some of them are enviable qualities, like the beauty of the ocean presence; the lovely, picture-perfect small towns; and the diversity of population. There are other Rhode Island qualities which are not so enviable, like high taxes, high cost of living, eroding industrial base, and what seems [...]

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INTRANSIGENT: refusing to agree or compromise; uncompromising; inflexible. (Dictionary.com)

November 16, 2009

————– Being stuck is never a good thing. Whether it’s in the snow or in the mud, being stuck is a situation in which movement is prohibited, or even denied. The word intransigent depicts that kind of being stuck which is even more dramatic than having one’s car get stuck. Intransigent means getting stuck in [...]

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ENTITLEMENT: a right to benefits that is granted, especially by law or contract. (Dictionary.com)

November 15, 2009

If you start reading this expecting the topic to be Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, or some other form of health or welfare benefits, you may be disappointed. While those are legitimate topics for another posting, they are not the topics about which I am concerned today. I want to explore the interplay between the entitlements [...]

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SPURIOUS: not genuine, authentic, or true…counterfeit. (Dictionary.com)

November 14, 2009

——- Spurious is a great word. I use it too frequently, almost as an evil toy, knowing that a lot of people don’t know the meaning of it. It is an ego-driven, prideful action my part. But I love it, and I love being able to explain the meaning of the word. Usually spurious is [...]

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DITHERING: to act irresolutely: vacillate (Dictionary.com)

November 13, 2009

———– President Obama has been accused of dithering when it comes to making a decision about the next steps to be taken in the military conflict in Afghanistan/Pakistan. Prodded by some Members of Congress, Senators, the media, and various experts, the President has been urged to make a quick decision and announce it. He has [...]

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EUTHANASIA: the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die (Dictionary.com)

November 12, 2009

There are many topics which can energize the conversation over coffee at the diner. Politics, religion, abortion, taxes, sports…. The list is long and easily accessed. One of the terms which appears on that list is euthanasia, commonly known in society as mercy killing. Just mention the topic and then stand back as large quantities [...]

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CYBERCHONDRIA: when an individual surfs the net in a frenzy of health anxiety. (UrbanDictionary.com, Sept. 24)

November 10, 2009

——————You have seen it happen. Maybe you have done it yourself. A person begins to experience symptoms of illness. Instead of calling a physician that person runs to the computer and pulls up a medical website. He or she punches in the symptoms (fever, rash, shortness of breath, etc.) and then reads furtively, relying upon [...]

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