Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Swept Away from Blogit And The Rest Of The World
For the past 36 hours or so, I’ve been immersed in a feature that I’m writing for a major magazine. Finally I’ve finished it! I can’t stay long to write this, as I’m full of energy and must find a release, probably planting the many day lilies that a neighbor just brought over. But I want to write...
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Friday, September 29, 2006
Softening The Blow Or Avoiding The Issue? OR More Fun With Euphemisms
We typically use euphemisms to soften the reality of what we are communicating to a reader or listener. One of those realities is “death.” So, we speak of someone “passing” or someone having “passed away.” Also, she might “be with God.” We also use euphemisms to talk about forbidden subjects, such...
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Thursday, September 28, 2006
And Are Those Really Gentlemen? OR The Wonderful World Of Euphemisms
In the interest of fair play to the ladies (see previous post), let’s now take a look at “gentlemen” and the evolution of its use. First, the word has three syllables, compared to two in both “ladies” and “women.” That distinction alone is enough to keep it from being used interchangeably with...
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Monday, September 25, 2006
Call Her What She Is OR Another Gift From The Advertising Industry
Here’s a news flash: “Lady” is NOT a synonym for “woman.” A “lady” is a woman of refinement and good manners. In other words, a lady is a type of woman. But all women do not possess refinement and good manners, so all women are not ladies. The same applies to “gentleman” and “man.” Not all men are...
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Thursday, September 21, 2006
Break The Rules. I Dare You. But It Better Have A Good Melody
According to the standardized code of artistic license, those who know the rules of grammar and punctuation are entitled to break them in the creation of literature, poetry, and song lyrics. According to the fine print in subsection JW, however, those who break the rules and pretend that they did so...
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Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Sure, We Can Read And Write, But Can We Communicate?
One of our greatest burdens as a species is that we can speak and write, but yet are so poor at communication. As an observer of life, I’ve noticed this often over the years. One of the ways that I drove home this message to my students was to send five of them into the hall and then show an...
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Sunday, September 17, 2006
Working For Pennies II OR Another Benefit of Blogit For Aspiring Writers
Yes, many of us were lured to Blogit by idea of making money, but have stayed for other reasons as we realize other values for our dollars spent. Friendships and instant feedback are among those, as are reading and learning from the works of others. Also, some have realized that Blogit provides a...
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Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Revealed! Why I Joined Blogit And Why You Probably Did As Well
How many of you would have become Blogit members without the lure of getting “paid”? And I use the word “paid” in the loosest sense, since payment is in pennies. I know that I wouldn’t be here. Yes, the intangible benefits of feedback, new friendships, and freedom to write whatever I want far...
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Sunday, September 10, 2006
Blogger Discovers Worst Sentence Of The Year---- Is It Yours???
Blogger Discovers Worst Sentence Of The Year Check out the second sentence of this paragraph. It’s one of the worst that I’ve ever seen, and certainly the worst I’ve seen in 2006 The sports “editor” of my local newspaper wrote it. The Jazwolf College Canines have had a rough start to their baseball...
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Friday, September 8, 2006
The Most Difficult Thing About Blogging? Or Try A Little Innuendo
Is writing a headline that is both accurate and attention-getting--- or any headline, for that matter--- the most difficult aspect of blogging? Based on comments I received, some of you think so. Sometimes, I think so, as well. Other times, the headlines almost seem to write themselves. What makes...
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