Category Archives: Words

Using the Right Words

Posted on January 2, 2014 by hessd

I wish a happy 2014 to you all and as a step toward that happiness, let’s look at one of my favorite scenes from I, Robot.[1]  The guiding genius behind U.S. Robotics’ (USB) success was Alfred Landingham, who appears to … Continue reading →

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Christmas, not so much any more

Posted on December 3, 2013 by hessd

  More and more, as December begins, I find I am living in a time of Advent and less and less in a time of Christmas.  As I ponder why that is, I don’t begin with the idea that this change … Continue reading →

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Secularism 2

Posted on August 12, 2013 by hessd

It came to my mind, as I was reflecting on “secularism”—my son, Doug, remarked in passing that he was a “secularist” and I got to thinking about how good a term that is—that it was an “extent of time” word, … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Studies, Living My Life, Words | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

If It’s Not About the Nail, What IS it About?

Posted on June 27, 2013 by hessd

With any luck at all, I will embed a wonderful short clip called “It’s Not About the Nail” in this post.  If it doesn’t work, I recommend that you Google “It’s not about the nail” and enjoy the following 78 … Continue reading →

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Skeptification

Posted on June 19, 2013 by hessd

We don’t always have at hand the words we need most.  A lot of people, facing this difficulty, chose a word with meanings close to what they need and call it good enough.  People who are more confident in their … Continue reading →

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The Exception Proves the Rule

Posted on June 14, 2013 by hessd

This is a really cheap post.  I labor over some of my posts.  I use punctuation and everything.  For this one, I am going to point you to the website  (The Phrase Finder) that deserves the credit for this and … Continue reading →

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Can You Be Too Skeptical?

Posted on June 11, 2013 by hessd

Yes.  You can. I want to refer, down the page a little, to a controversy between medical doctors.  Dr. Andrew Newberg, whom I know only from his recorded lectures, called “The Spiritual Brain” is one; the other is Dr. Steven … Continue reading →

Posted in Living My Life, ways of knowing, Words | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Why Social Services Fail

Posted on May 1, 2013 by hessd

It is a part of the malady of our time that we try to see everything as a question of having the necessary skills.  Somewhere in the middle of my grad school experience, at a time when everything seemed to … Continue reading →

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What are pejorative words for?

Posted on April 25, 2013 by hessd

In 1893, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a book called Catriona—a book I had never heard of until today.  Nor did I know until today that the word I had in mind to begin this reflection on language, pejorative, was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, ways of knowing, Words | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Unnatural Acts

Posted on April 2, 2013 by hessd

In the war currently being waged about gay rights (are there any?), there are people who say there is nothing at all wrong with homosexuality and people who say there is everything wrong with it.  It almost goes without saying … Continue reading →

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