Well, I should get back to the subject of this blog. I do like blogs, though, because I can say what I want without worrying about irritating others, as sometimes happens on Wordcraft. I suppose if I had more readers, I'd have more to worry about!
Tonight I checked the word epicaricacy. First, I am happy to say that my blog is on the first page when you Google the word. Secondly, I had posted on April 8, 2008, that there were 6,230 hits for epicaricacy. Today there are 42,000 results. I wonder if my blog had anything to do with that increase. Hope so!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
P.S.
Ah...more on health care. I have been at a meeting in Orlando and always enjoy reading the local papers. Here is what one reader of the Orlando Sentinel had to say, and I couldn't agree with him more:
"Jesus said such left-wing liberal things as 'turn the other cheek,' 'love your enemies,' 'blessed are the poor and downtrodden,' 'the meek shall inherit the Earth,' 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you,' etc.
I, therefore, find it rather ironic and somewhat hypocritical that so many people who consider themselves ardent Christians have no problem at all with the trillions of dollars that have been spent and the many tens of thousands of lives that have been lost due to our unjustified invasion of Iraq. They have nothing but contempt for President Obama's trying to reach out to other nations, and they have a fit at the thought of their tax dollars being spent to help the poor and downtrodden obtain needed medical help."
Amen. Plus, isn't it believable with this huge health care bill, worth a trillion dollars, that one part became such a point of discussion: people might get abortions with federal funds. Those religious fanatics who meet with legislators and become politically active moving forward their religious agendas absolutely have a right to do so. However, I think a good argument needs to be made that when they do that, there no longer is a separation of church and state, a principle upon which our government is based. Therefore, they absolutely need to be paying property taxes. You can't have your cake and eat it too.
"Jesus said such left-wing liberal things as 'turn the other cheek,' 'love your enemies,' 'blessed are the poor and downtrodden,' 'the meek shall inherit the Earth,' 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you,' etc.
I, therefore, find it rather ironic and somewhat hypocritical that so many people who consider themselves ardent Christians have no problem at all with the trillions of dollars that have been spent and the many tens of thousands of lives that have been lost due to our unjustified invasion of Iraq. They have nothing but contempt for President Obama's trying to reach out to other nations, and they have a fit at the thought of their tax dollars being spent to help the poor and downtrodden obtain needed medical help."
Amen. Plus, isn't it believable with this huge health care bill, worth a trillion dollars, that one part became such a point of discussion: people might get abortions with federal funds. Those religious fanatics who meet with legislators and become politically active moving forward their religious agendas absolutely have a right to do so. However, I think a good argument needs to be made that when they do that, there no longer is a separation of church and state, a principle upon which our government is based. Therefore, they absolutely need to be paying property taxes. You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Health Care
This is a blog about words, and particularly one of my favorite one. However, it's time to step back for awhile (and I have been doing that much too much recently on my blog...because of my travels), take a deep breath, and say "whew!" The House passed a health care bill. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. But I am glad that we've got something. Had it been my way, we would have convened a group of legislators, doctors, nurses, allied health care workers, consumers, insurers, business people, innovators, etc., and created something transformative, and that didn't happen. You know that simply because the AMA supported it. However, it's done, and let's go from here. It's a beginning, and surely it's better than the way things are. Way to go!
Now for the senate...
Now for the senate...
Friday, October 23, 2009
Cops
I am driving a l-o-n-g w-a-y (Chicago to Phoenix) with my daughter and father, so we have the sky to talk about. As my dad and daughter were talking about some episodes of Cops, I was thinking those shows about people being arrested or getting traffic tickets are forms of epicaricacy, or for the Germans, Schadenfreude. Why would people watch those shows if they didn't enjoy them? They are getting enjoyment out of others' misfortunes. How sad.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Schadenfreude isn't understood?
Rick Morrissey writes on the Sports pages of the Tribune and today wrote about 2 football players who were traded to other teams and now are doing well. He said, "Going into the season, the situation was ripe for schadenfreude - the enjoyment of other people's misfortune - but Orton and Favre have gone and spoiled it by succeeding." First of all, you have to explain its definition??? I can see it for epicaricacy, but not for Schadenfreude. Secondly, is there a word for when you expect to enjoy others' misfortune, but it's foiled? There should be! We've all felt it (or most of us). Some arrogant jerk is about to lose at something...and you're ready to be so happy...then BAM! He wins! Ugh! [I've also been using "ugh" a lot lately!]
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Limericks and Poetry
Oh why do those lim'ricks affect me?
They bullyrag, plague and dissect me.
When writing for fun,
I can't be outdone!
Oh please don't you say they reflect me!
Oh, well.
Here's a nice link from WC on a poem, "The Death of a Toad." The author's description of why he wrote it, and what was on his mind, is really elucidating. I like the poem much better now. Here it is:
The Death of a Toad
Richard Wilbur
A toad the power mower caught,
Chewed and clipped of a leg, with a hobbling hop has got
To the garden verge, and sanctuaried him
Under the cineraria leaves, in the shade
Of the ashen and heartshaped leaves, in a dim,
Low, and a final glade.
The rare original heartsbleed goes,
Spends in the earthen hide, in the folds and wizenings, flows
In the gutters of the banked and staring eyes. He lies
As still as if he would return to stone,
And soundlessly attending, dies
Toward some deep monotone,
Toward misted and ebullient seas
And cooling shores, toward lost Amphibia's emperies.
Day dwindles, drowning and at length is gone
In the wide and antique eyes, which still appear
To watch, across the castrate lawn,
The haggard daylight steer.
They bullyrag, plague and dissect me.
When writing for fun,
I can't be outdone!
Oh please don't you say they reflect me!
Oh, well.
Here's a nice link from WC on a poem, "The Death of a Toad." The author's description of why he wrote it, and what was on his mind, is really elucidating. I like the poem much better now. Here it is:
The Death of a Toad
Richard Wilbur
A toad the power mower caught,
Chewed and clipped of a leg, with a hobbling hop has got
To the garden verge, and sanctuaried him
Under the cineraria leaves, in the shade
Of the ashen and heartshaped leaves, in a dim,
Low, and a final glade.
The rare original heartsbleed goes,
Spends in the earthen hide, in the folds and wizenings, flows
In the gutters of the banked and staring eyes. He lies
As still as if he would return to stone,
And soundlessly attending, dies
Toward some deep monotone,
Toward misted and ebullient seas
And cooling shores, toward lost Amphibia's emperies.
Day dwindles, drowning and at length is gone
In the wide and antique eyes, which still appear
To watch, across the castrate lawn,
The haggard daylight steer.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Internet Anonymity
There has been a case in Illinois about a local (very local!) politician who was involved in a particularly vicious campaign. In the heat of the moment, someone posted a "deeply disturbing" comment about this politician's 15-year-old son. The culprit (the court described the poster as "he") has remained anonymous and is sending his attorney to the courts. So far the judge knows the identity of the poster, and on November 9th will decide whether to give it to the complainant.
Clearly I don't support that kind of thing, nor do I support or even care about the poster. However, should people be able to be anonymous on the Internet? I think so. Yes, there are kooks. We all know that. So, who cares? One can choose to, or not to, read those kinds of discussion boards. Besides, there are idiots everywhere...in every walk of life. You show me a discipline or occupation where jerks don't exist. I have always said there are fairly equal percentages of miscreants in every walk of life. Lawyers are not more crooked than nurses, for example. Nor are teachers any more or less trustworthy than car salespeople. And so on. We're all created equal when it comes to professions and jobs.
The problem with people identifying themselves online is that the kooks can take advantage of them. They can find out contact information and harrass...or stalk...or worse. That would limit the good (but scared) people from participating on good discussion boards or Web sites. For example, it would compromise our Wordcraft, OEDILF, and other good online sites.
Yet, I think, eventually, there will be no anonymity on the Internet, and then things will change. A lot, I fear. Why is it that the few ruin it for the rest of us?
Clearly I don't support that kind of thing, nor do I support or even care about the poster. However, should people be able to be anonymous on the Internet? I think so. Yes, there are kooks. We all know that. So, who cares? One can choose to, or not to, read those kinds of discussion boards. Besides, there are idiots everywhere...in every walk of life. You show me a discipline or occupation where jerks don't exist. I have always said there are fairly equal percentages of miscreants in every walk of life. Lawyers are not more crooked than nurses, for example. Nor are teachers any more or less trustworthy than car salespeople. And so on. We're all created equal when it comes to professions and jobs.
The problem with people identifying themselves online is that the kooks can take advantage of them. They can find out contact information and harrass...or stalk...or worse. That would limit the good (but scared) people from participating on good discussion boards or Web sites. For example, it would compromise our Wordcraft, OEDILF, and other good online sites.
Yet, I think, eventually, there will be no anonymity on the Internet, and then things will change. A lot, I fear. Why is it that the few ruin it for the rest of us?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
