Log or Blog of Words in the News and from Other Media Sources

(a presentation of word information for your vocabulary enhancement so you can increase your brain gain and decrease your brain drain)

Pain and suffering , there is more than enough to go around for everyone

One of the experiences we all have at one time or another is that of pain from moderate to severe. As you visit this unit, you will find many links to a variety of additional words dealing with pain and suffering at the bottoms of the pages.

Nothing begins and nothing ends
That is not paid with moan;
For we are born in other's pain,
And perish in our own.
-Francis Thompson (1859-1907)

The greatest of all perplexities in theology has been to reconcile the infinite goodness of God with His omnipotence. Nothing puts a greater strain upon the faith of the common man than the existence of utterly irrational suffering in the universe.

-Walter Lippmann (1889-1974) was an American
award-winning writer, journalist,
and political commentator.
Planets in space are explained and illustrated

You may see some good illustrations about the planets as well as information which should provide a better understanding.

If Earthlings cannot cooperate with their fellow inhabitants, what makes them think they can cooperate with the inhabitants of other planets?

-Laurence J. Peter
Poem, "Blind Men and the Elephant"

If you are not acquainted with the poem the "Blind Men and the Elephant", then this is your opportunity to experience one of the most popular poems of all.

A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep

-Saul Bellow

Where opinions, morals, and politics are concerned, there is no such thing as objectivity. The best we can hope for is that freedom will enable subjective points of view to meet and complement each other.

-Jean D'Ormesson, French novelist
Poem: "The Emperor's New Clothes"

Sometimes we can learn something from a fairy-tale; so, take a look at "The Emperor's New Clothes" by Hans Christian Anderson and see modern applications of governmental deceptions and the pitfalls of political self-aggrandizement; as well as, the fear of people to face reality even when they know that what they are being told is untrue.

Practical politics consists in ignoring facts.

-Henry Adams
Poetry, mostly classical and popular

Some poems have become classics and you can enjoy some of the best of them by going to this Poems: Index.

The success of the poem is determined not by how much the poet felt in writing it, but by how much the reader feels in reading it.

-John Ciardi (1916-1986), poet and etymologist

You probably will also enjoy the poetic quotes located at Quotes: Poetry to Stimulate Thinking which encourages thinking from a different perspective.

Practical Intelligence Quiz, Part A

See if you can come up with the "correct answers" for the first section of this quiz.

  1. If you went to bed at 8 o'clock at night and set the spring-winding clock alarm to get up at 9 o'clock in the morning, how many hours sleep would this permit you to have before the alarm would go off?
  2. Do they have a 4th of July in England and Germany?
  3. How many birthdays does the average man or woman have these days?
  4. Why can't a man living in East Germany be buried in West Germany?
  5. If you had just one match, and if you entered a cold room in which there were a kerosene lamp, an oil heater, and a wood burning stove; which one would you light first?
  6. Some months have 30 days, some have 31 days, how many months have 28 days?
  7. If a doctor gave you three pills and told you to take one every half hour, how long would they last you?

The answers for this quiz are as follows:


  1. If you went to bed at 8 o'clock at night and set the spring-winding clock alarm to get up at 9 o'clock in the morning, how many hours sleep would this permit you to have before the alarm would go off?
    One hour.

  2. Do they have a 4th of July in England and Germany?
    Every country using the Gregorian calendar has a 4th of July.

  3. How many birthdays does the average man or woman have these days?
    Just one, which is true for everyone.

  4. Why can't a man living in East Germany be buried in West Germany?
    Because burying a "living" man is simply not permitted!

  5. If you had just one match, and if you entered a cold room in which there were a kerosene lamp, an oil heater, and a wood burning stove; which one would you light first?
    The match.

  6. Some months in the year have 30 days, some have 31 days, how many months have 28 days?
    All of them have 28 days.

  7. If a doctor gave you three pills and told you to take one every half hour, how long would they last you?
    One hour. You would take one, then 30 minutes later another one, and again 60 minutes later.

Practical Intelligence Quiz, Part B

See if you can come up with the "correct answers" for the second part of the quiz.

  1. A man built a house with four sides to it and it was rectangular in shape. Each side had a southern exposure. A big bear came along one day. What color was the bear?
  2. How far can a dog run into the woods?
  3. What four words appear on every denomination of U.S. coins?
  4. What is the minimum number of active baseball players on the playing the field during any part of an inning? How many outs are there in each inning?
  5. A man had two U.S. coins in his hand which totaled 55 cents. One of the coins was not a nickel. Please bear that in mind. What were the two coins?
  6. A farmer had seventeen sheep. All but nine died. How many did he have left?
  7. Two men played checkers. They played five games and each man won the same number of games. There were no ties. How was that possible?

The answers for this part of the quiz is shown below:


  1. A man built a house with four sides to it and it was rectangular in shape. Each side had a southern exposure. A big bear came along one day. What color was the bear?
  2. White (a polar bear) because the house is located at the north pole.


  3. How far can a dog run into the woods?
  4. Half way, then it starts to go out of the woods.


  5. What four words appear on every denomination of U.S. coins?
  6. "In God We Trust" and "United States of America".


  7. What is the minimum number of active baseball players on the playing field during any part of an inning?

    Ten.

    How many outs are there in each inning?

    Six.


  8. A man had two U.S. coins in his hand which totaled 55 cents. One of the coins was not a nickel. Please bear that in mind. What were the two coins?
  9. A fifty-cent coin and a nickel.


  10. A farmer had seventeen sheep. All but nine died. How many did he have left?
  11. Nine.


  12. Two men played checkers. They played five games and each man won the same number of games. There were no ties. How was that possible?
  13. They didn't play each other.


Practical Intelligence Quiz, Part C

See if you can come up with the "correct answers" for this third part of the quiz.

  1. Take two apples from three apples and how many do you have?
  2. A woman gave a beggar $2.00. The woman is the beggar's sister, but the beggar is not the woman's brother. How can that be?
  3. In the Bible, how many animals of each species did Moses take aboard the ark with him?
  4. Why can't a man from Spain legally marry his widow's sister?
  5. If a hunter shot at ten birds roosting in a tree and killed two of them, how many would still be in the tree?
  6. Have you ever been in a room when a baby was born?
  7. An electric train is traveling at a speed of sixty miles per hour. If there is a wind of thirty miles per hour following it, which way would its smoke be flowing?

The answers are shown below:


  1. Take two apples from three apples and how many do you have?
  2. Two apples.


  3. A woman gave a beggar $2.00. The woman is the beggar's sister, but the beggar is not the woman's brother. How can that be?
  4. The beggar must be the "woman's" sister.


  5. In the Bible, how many animals of each species did Moses take aboard the ark with him?
  6. Moses didn't take any because it was Noah who took them aboard the Ark.


  7. Why can't a man from Spain legally marry his widow's sister?
  8. Because he is dead. How else could his wife be a widow?


  9. If a hunter shot at ten birds roosting in a tree and killed two of them, how many would still be in the tree?
  10. None of them would be there because the rest would have flown away.


  11. Have you ever been in a room when a baby was born?
  12. Yes you were, at least once, when you were born.


  13. An electric train is traveling at a speed of sixty miles per hour. If there is a wind of thirty miles per hour following it, which way would its smoke be flowing?
  14. There is no smoke from an electric train.



Practical Intelligence Quiz, Part D

See if you can come up with the "correct answers" for the last part of the quiz.

  1. In the old recording format, how many grooves did a 33 r.p.m record have?
  2. Five rabbits were playing in a field. A hunter came along and shot one dead. How many rabbits stayed in the field?
  3. A rope ladder was hanging over the side of a ship so that it just reached the water. Its rungs (steps) were nine inches apart. How many rungs were under water when the tide rose three feet?
  4. Which is correct: "The white of the eggs is yellow" or "The white of the eggs are yellow"?
  5. How long will an eight-day clock run without winding?

The answers are shown below:


  1. In the old recording format, how many grooves did a 33 r.p.m record have?
  2. One groove from the beginning to the end.


  3. Five rabbits were playing in a field. A hunter came along and shot one dead. How many rabbits stayed in the field?
  4. None. The rest of them ran away.


  5. A rope ladder was hanging over the side of a ship so that it just reached the water. Its rungs (steps) were nine inches apart. How many rungs were under water when the tide rose three feet?
  6. None of them because the ladder rose with the ship.


  7. Which is correct: "The white of the eggs is yellow" or "The whites of the eggs are yellow"?
  8. Neither is correct. The "white" of an egg is not the "yellow" of an egg.


  9. How long will an eight-day clock run without winding?
  10. It won't run at all unless someone winds it.

Robots have three gender classifications, just like people

Do you know the term for a robot that looks like a male, or a robot which has the features of a female?

By using the links above, you can find explanations and illustrations for today's topics and even find information about the term for robots that are neither "masculine" nor "feminine".

We never stop investigating. We are never satisfied that we know enough to get by. Every question we answer leads on to another question. This has become the greatest survival trick of our human species.

-Desmond Morris
Round, around, circle, surrounding are waiting for your investogation

There are many English words dealing with circle, round, around words starting with those shown in this alphabetical listing of circ- unit.

Again, you may take advantage of the links shown at the bottom of this word unit and each of the other word groups that you examine so you can see the great varieties of "around, round, surrounding" words which can present the practical applications of the multitudes of "circular" words that exist in English.

The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones.

-Somerset Maugham (1874-1965),
English playwright, novelist, and short story writer.

The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.

-Samuel Johnson (1709-1784),
English writer and lexicographer.

A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin.

-H.L. Mencken (1880-1956),
an American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, and satirist.
Sandwich, and Its Historical Backgrond

Here's an interesting story of the origins of the term sandwich in two parts with illustrations.

Science and its many aspects

The subject of science and topics that are derived from this concept of related scientific links are available at the bottom of this unit's pages so you can see additional examples of science in action.

In science the credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not to the man to whom the idea first occurs.

-Sir William Osler (July 12, 1849-December 29, 1919)
was a Canadian physician
Science and Technology.

Now you are invited to visit this Index of Scientific and Technological Topics where you can get acquainted with some modern trends in science and technology.

We have to live today by what truth we can get today and be ready tomorrow to call it falsehood.

-William James (1842-1910), U.S. philosopher and psychologist
[Science is a history of superseded theories]
Scriptophobia as expressed in written testimonials

The subject of scriptophobia is presented as a result of someone who wrote an e-mail today about his fear or hatred of filling out forms; especially, those on the internet which are specified with * (asterisks).

At any rate, reading the personal explanations of these genuine scriptophobiacs are worth reading. If you want to share a similar experience with me, please send it via e-mail, words@wordnews.info .

An optimist thinks this is the best of all worlds. A pessimist fears the same may be true.

-Doug Larson.

This link will take you to the Focal Points of Information for links to other topics or subjects of interest.