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Category Archives: language
Giving Thanks . . . in All Things
According to one of the origin myths that bind us together as a unique American people, the day of gratitude we celebrate today traces its origins to a 1621 harvest festival shared between the English Pilgrims in the Plymouth Colony … Continue reading
Watch: Advent Word 6
Words are my lifeblood, so I want to understand them deeply and fully–to know them and to own them. Thus, I frequently consult the Online Etymology Dictionary, a favorite site for enriching my store of words as I explore their … Continue reading
Posted in Advent, Advent Word, church, etymology, language, religion
Tagged Advent, Advent Word, etymology, King James vesion, watch
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An Accident on the Wheel of Fortune
My experience behind the wheel I am told that around 8:00 p.m. on October 28, 2022, I had a car accident. Empirical evidence certainly supports such a hypothesis. If the picture alone isn’t enough, I can report that I had … Continue reading
Walk Together—and Teach: Advent Words 1, 2, and 3
Brief reflections on my own 26 Advents I first experienced the Anglican liturgy and its repository, the Book of Common Prayer—where I found a home for my rootless soul—on the first Sunday of Advent 1996. Can there be a more … Continue reading
Be Careful What You Delete!
Yesterday, I saw this challenge on Facebook. My snarky response was “Government of the offended, by the offended, and for the offended. Unfortunately, I’m afraid it will never perish from the Earth.” I could probably make an entire post about … Continue reading
Posted in current events, education, free speech, freedom, language, politics, religion, totalitarianism
Tagged definition, Facebook, free speech, George Orwell, John Milton, Jonathan Swift, language, literature, religion
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La Mulți Ani: A Tentative and Cautionary Birthday Wish for the USA
Yesterday, I read in a news article shared on Facebook that Disney has decided to change the opening announcement at its Magic Kingdom fireworks show. The original greeting began, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, dreamers of all … Continue reading
Posted in America, Bill of Rights, critical thinking, culture, current events, divisiveness, education, free speech, freedom, history, hope, language, politics
Tagged America, First Amendment, Fourth of July, free speech, history, hope, identity, Independence Day, language, politics
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A Hot Dog Is a Sandwich
Every semester, staff and instructors at FTCC are allowed to take one class free of charge, and I almost always try to take advantage of that wonderful opportunity. This semester I am taking a class in critical thinking offered by … Continue reading
Posted in critical thinking, education, freedom, language, literature, politics, totalitarianism, word, writing
Tagged definition, language, literature, mot juste, Orwell, politics, word, writing
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What We Have Lost: Our Stories Make Us One
“Thanksgiving lessons jettison pilgrim hats, welcome truth” This headline from the Associated Press exploded inside my skull when I saw it three days ago, and in the dust that settled, I read an important lesson about what has been lost as … Continue reading
Posted in culture, current events, divisiveness, education, freedom, history, language, literature, narrative, politics, story
Tagged culture, education, history, identity, language, literature, narrative, story
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Everything Not Forbidden Is Compulsory
When I first passed this sign yesterday morning on the way to class, I thought it was an instruction in etiquette: “Don’t sit here because this is a table, and sitting on tables is rude.” Silly me.
Posted in Bill of Rights, books, COVID-19, critical thinking, current events, divisiveness, education, First Amendment, free speech, freedom, history, language, literature, news, novel coronavirus, politics, society, totalitarianism
Tagged books, COVID-19, education, etymology, First Amendment, free speech, history, language, literature, meaning, novel coronavirus, Orwell, politics, social distancing, word, writing
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