Posts tagged as:

Democrats

TRANSPARENCY: a clear picture of what is taking place; no smoke screens

August 25, 2010

You have heard me talk about my favorite coffee shop, the LaSalle Bakery in Providence.  It is where I have my bran muffin and coffee every morning.  It is also where I read the New York Times, chat with regulars and staff about the Red Sox and the Syracuse Orange.  But it also where I [...]

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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 [...]

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ADVANTAGE:the first point scored after deuce.

February 4, 2010

The language of tennis is too precious in some ways. To me, it reflects the genteel origins of the sport. “Love… deuce… advantage….” The words all sound like terms one might expect to be used in describing ballet positions. Not quite the same as “Scrum…foul ball…or piling on….”
However, as gentle as the tennis terms may [...]

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THE STATE OF THE UNION: more than an address

January 26, 2010

We are just one day away from President Obama’s first official State of the Union Address, and I am anxious. Oh, he will present it with great oratory skill, and there will be the usual applause, standing, sitting, and ceremony to which I have referred before. It’s not the presentation which gives me anxiety…it [...]

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