In reference to the ongoing political scandal involving the governor of Illinois, one commentator said, “If Lincoln were alive, he’d be spinning in his grave.” My thought was that anybody buried alive would probably be spinning…. The sentence also led me to think about the various ways language is used and abused.

According to that font of wisdom, Wikipedia, The phrase, "Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty," may have been coined by peace activist Anne Herbert, who says she wrote it on a placemat at a Sausalito restaurant in 1982 or 1983.

In the U.S., most school children are introduced to a sanitized and simplified version of the history of Thanksgiving, which had its origins in the celebration of the fall harvest. The official holiday, a day set aside for giving thanks, was established in 1941, a good long while after the colonists and Native Americans feasted together in 1621.

Strange Headlines

• Skydiver Dies in Second Fatal Jump [What happened in the first fatal jump?]
• Deadly Jet Crash Likely Accident [I hope it wasn’t on purpose…]

But on to Today's Subject...

I don’t know about you, but I am glad that the election and its associated advertising are behind us. As most readers of this blog already know, those of us in the U.S. were promised “change” by both candidates for president. Of course, “change” cuts two ways. On the one hand, it offers hope of something better; while on the other, it engenders the fear of losing the familiar to something worse.

Somewhere along the way, most of us have heard the saying, “Take the time to do it right the first time because there’s always time to do it over.” Many of my early experiences with this concept came while I was building Heath Kit electronic products in early adolescence. One of the directions I was inclined to ignore was DO NOT SOLDER. I would think, “There are already too many wires at this point. Surely there won’t be another.” I would solder. A few pages later I would need to unsolder to add another component.

We live in interesting times. As I write this, the world financial markets are tumbling. One commentator has said that we need more synonyms for “plummet.” Evidently plunge, drop, dive, tumble, and nose-dive weren’t sufficient. In the U.S., we also have two candidates for president who are running on the promise of change.

One of the marvelous things about Life is that it is replete with opportunities for learning. As regular readers of this blog know, over the past few weeks and months, I have been continually entranced by the opportunities for learning presented by the ongoing political campaigns. It seems to me that people too often denigrate what can be learned from TV. It seems to me that TV is a wonderful medium for teaching and learning for those willing to take advantage of the opportunity.

Today’s Headlines:

• No more sex [Not any? From now on? For everyone?]
• Counting Kangaroo Rats [Who taught them to count?]
• Hospital tells grandpa he’s pregnant [Perhaps it’s a virgin birth….]
• Man runs stop sign in critical condition [Who or what was in critical condition?]

But … on to today’s subject:

Those of you who have been following the gyrations surrounding the upcoming U.S. elections have had ample opportunity to observe every possible aspect of framing and reframing.

• Framing:         setting the “window” through which something is viewed.
• Reframing:      changing a “window” set previously.
• Metaframing:  locking a “window” in place so that it precludes alternative views.

Today’s Headlines:

• Full excerpts… [As opposed to excerpts of excerpts, perhaps.]
• Cigarette butts on sale [Who would want to pay full price?]
• The inner zombie controlling your brain…[Yes, master….]

But … on to today’s subject:

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been watching the hummingbirds at my feeders. They are “bulking up” in preparation for their migration south. Some hummingbirds migrate almost 3000 miles—each way—every year. When I look at how small they are and how delicate they seem to be, I have to wonder….

Today’s Headlines:

• Water main break closes johns [Good thing for chamber pots….]
• Rice makes history [Steamed or fried?]
• Obama to dispatch female surrogates [I hope that’s dispatch as in “send out….”]

But … on to today’s subject:

Most of the readers of this blog (and, in fact, most people these days) are familiar with personality sorters, such as the Myers-Brigg’s Type Indicator or the DiSC Profile system. Such “tests” ask individuals to answer questions about their typical behaviors and then group answers into categories that reveal clusters of behavioral patterns. Those who are steeped in the MBTI, may display their descriptors, such as ESFP (Extrovert, Sensing, Feeler, Perceiver) or INTJ (Introvert, iNtuitive, Thinker, Judger) on plaques so that those who visit their offices—at least if they know the MBTI—will know how to communicate with them effectively.