SCHADENFREUDE—ETYMOLOGICAL AND ETHICAL VIEWS
“DEAR DR. WORDSMITH, current political goings-on have me experiencing Schadenfreude. Is this okay?” It depends, of course, on how concerned you are about the state of these United States. If, … Continue reading
OLIVER CROMWELL—PURITAN, LORD PROTECTOR, AND A REAL PIECE OF WORK PART 1
IT’S NOT OFTEN that I take a dislike to an historical figure. Hitler, yes. Mussolini, yes. But then I was born during the war years. However, having read about Oliver … Continue reading
IRONIC, SARDONIC, SARCASTIC, SATIRIC—ADJECTIVES FOR OUR TIMES
WE LIVE IN times that are ripe for ironic, sardonic, sarcastic, and satiric commentary. It’s fun to savor such wit, all the better when we observe the nuances among these … Continue reading
ON A SLIPPERY SLOPE OF SAUDI OIL
TRUMP’S RECENT exclamation-point-endowed pandering to Saudi Arabia suggests the need for an update on countries supplying oil to the U.S. To avoid yet further trumpery (Merriam-Webster: “crapola, hogwash, rubbish”), I … Continue reading
EVERYBODY’S AVIATION GUIDE—90 YEARS AGO PART 1
MAJOR VICTOR W. PAGÉ, Air Corps Reserve, U.S.A., was a timely author. He wrote in 1928, “The transoceanic flights made by Byrd, Lindbergh, Chamberlin, Acosta, Hegenberger and Maitland, and others … Continue reading