From the monthly archives:

February 2012

911: “What is your emergency?”

February 29, 2012

“911.  What is your emergency?”                                                                                                                                   “I need to report a theft.” And so the drama begins, as I spill out  the confused and unbelievable story of the intentional and dastardly act of the pilferage of a beloved item in my life:  a day.  The woman at the 911 office is appropriately bewildered , struggling to [...]

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THEOCRACY: a form of government in which religious law dominates over civil law

February 28, 2012

In Middle Eastern nations we have seen multiple examples of governance by religious leaders who use religious law as their guidelines.   It has been a predominant understanding in Western nations that the concept fails miserably, especially when the interpretation of religious law is literal, radically conservative and abusive.  Iran is the clearest example of this [...]

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ARTISTE: primarily, a live entertainer, actor, or performer

February 27, 2012

I don’t think I’ve ever watched the entire Academy Awards event from start to finish until this year.  For the first time I can remember I had seen all but a couple of the films in contention for the award, so I invested more of an interest in the annual glitter, and I’m not disappointed [...]

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REACTIONARY: violently opposed to progressive change

February 26, 2012

In all the mud-slinging and name-calling we have experienced in the political battles over the past year, one word seems to be missing.  Reactionary.  We hear about liberals, ultra-liberals, conservatives and ultra-conservatives.  Left, right, moderate.    But the term reactionary has been missing, at least from my ears. It is a good, descriptive word for those [...]

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SISYPHUS SYNDROME: being compelled to repeat a self-defeating practice continuously

February 25, 2012

According to ancient Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a man who undertook activities that were deemed inappropriate.  He was punished by being forced to roll a huge boulder up the side of a steep mountainside in the attempt to get it to the top.   Every time he came close to the top the boulder would roll [...]

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POLL: the report of a random sampling of peoples’ opinions

February 24, 2012

There comes a point where too much information clogs the intellectual system.  Try as one might, though, you can’t turn off the spigot.   The information just keeps coming and coming. I feel that way about political polls these days.  Every day there are poll statistics reported that try to assess the latest trends in political [...]

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ZERO SUM: that which is gained equals that which is lost, and its implications for political decision-making

February 23, 2012

This is a follow-up to yesterday’s blog posting about a philosophy or theology of abundance.   It stuck in my head and wouldn’t let me go.   So I decided to give into it and do something I haven’t done before.  This is a sequel posting. Zero Sum theory is based upon the idea that there is [...]

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ABUNDANCE: an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply*

February 22, 2012

The “Law of Abundance” expressed in today’s graphic is open to discussion, and some macro-economists would probably question the veracity of it.  But it is a philosophical (and theological) concept that has been debated and embraced by many for centuries.  Clearly, it is an idealism.  But I am inclined to come down on the side [...]

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JEANS: casual pants made from denim

February 21, 2012

I’m of  the generation that remembers when jeans were called dungarees.  In those days the word implied that the coarse, denim pants were designed for, and purchased for, something called “work.”   Because they were relatively inexpensive and easily cared for, they could be worn to muck out horse stalls, dig ditches, tame a horse, mow [...]

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“PHONY THEOLOGY”: an arrogant judgment needing response

February 20, 2012

I waited several days to be sure I wasn’t just reacting emotionally.   But the arrogance of the comment by Rick Santorum, the leading vote-getter (for now) in the Republican Party’s attempt to identify its candidate for the Presidential election, won’t let me delay any longer.  I’ve had to sort out whether I’m responding as a [...]

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