From the monthly archives:

March 2010

READER QUIZ

March 31, 2010

Who is the person who has influenced you the most over the past five days? President Obama Nancy Pelosi Sarah Palin Rush Limbaugh Katie Couric Mylie Cyrus Bobby Huggins of West Virginia Noah of biblical fame Other (please specify) (If you answered “Noah of biblical fame” you are in the same mindset as I am.  [...]

Read the full article →

OF LIONS AND LAMBS: two literary references

March 30, 2010

The images of lions and lambs have been used in literature and other written pieces for centuries now.  There is something about the majesty of the powerful lion and the gentleness of the lamb which captures the imagination of writers.  They stand as metaphors, not needing a lot of explanation. Today being the penultimate day [...]

Read the full article →

PESACH: story-telling at its highest level

March 29, 2010

Tonight begins the Jewish feast of Pesach, known throughout the English-speaking world as the Feast of the Passover.  It recalls the biblical story of the events leading up to the escape of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt. (Exodus 12) In modern times Pesach is observed in the context of a meal, known as [...]

Read the full article →

HOSANNA: deliver us

March 28, 2010

In most of the western Christian world today is Palm Sunday, a day observing the triumphal entry of Jesus of Nazareth into Jerusalem.  It begins Holy Week, a seven day period in biblical history when Jesus culminates his earthly ministry, meeting death on a criminal’s cross.  Three days later Christians celebrate his resurrection from the [...]

Read the full article →

NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT: an intentional act on behalf of nations to remove nuclear arms from their arsenals

March 27, 2010

In an under-reported act, President Obama achieved a major international feat yesterday by achieving an agreement with President Medvedev of Russia to trim by 1/3 the nuclear arsenals of the two largest nuclear powers on Earth.  On the 6:30 news programs it ranked about sixth in line, behind Sarah Palin and Senator McCain, violence against [...]

Read the full article →

DEFLATION: an economic disaster or an Orange fan’s mood today

March 26, 2010

It’s raining outside right now.  And it’s back to being early spring cool.  The forecast is for a mostly cloudy day.  It figures. The mighty have fallen and there’s no joy in Orangetown.  Syracuse University’s men’s basketball team’s season ended last night in Salt Lake City, Utah, (of all places!) where they were defeated by [...]

Read the full article →

TALK RADIO HOST: the voice behind the violence

March 25, 2010

There’s a militia mentality prevailing in this country today.  Over the past couple of days it has demonstrated itself in language and actions which offends the sensibilities of people who believe in democratic process.  Angry over the passage of the first stage of Health Care legislation, the language of some people, including people in highly [...]

Read the full article →

PETARD (as in “hoisted on one’s own”): hurt, ruined, or destroyed by the very device or plot one had intended for another.

March 24, 2010

I don’t think I ever have enjoyed an etymological search as much as I have this one.  In trying to get to the source of the term “hoisted on one’s own petard” I discovered that the origin is  a French word, “peter,” which means (literally) to break wind, or fart!  It was adopted in military [...]

Read the full article →

THE HURT LOCKER: the Iraq war through the eyes of a camera

March 23, 2010

We hadn’t see The Hurt Locker at the time of the presentation of the Academy Awards. To be honest, we hadn’t even heard about it.  But last night we had a chance to see it, and I can see why it won the award for Best Picture.  Every now and then the award represents an [...]

Read the full article →

LANDMARK: a distinguishing landscape feature marking a site or location

March 22, 2010

When the 216th Member of the House of Representatives clocked in with a “yes” vote on the heavily-debated Health Care legislation last night, it was tantamount to becoming law.  There are a couple of U.S. Senate steps remaining to firm up the decision, but for the most part, the United States now has a Health [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries