by Kevin Burton Hug your mom. Hug her today if you can. Hug her tomorrow because tomorrow is Mother’s Day, but don’t wait for a prompt from the greeting card companies. Hug her any time. Hug your mom. You see this on Facebook all the time. Hug your mom because you will …
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The Unkindest Contranym Of All? Ask Fido
by Kevin Burton Imagine if you will, a Richard Pryor bit from the 70s, that could have been, to introduce the concept of the contranym, a word with two opposite meanings. These lines are from the family puppy, whose usual panting, tail-wagging enthusiasm for a car ride (oh boy!) has gone tragically wrong: …
Far From Being Obsolete, Braille Is Essential
by Tracy Conly (Tracy Conly is a longtime friend from our days at the Ohio State School for the Blind, a great Braille reader and advocate for the blind. This is her reaction to our March 15 story “A New Tool In The Fight For Braille Literacy.”) “Braille changes lives. It gives thousands …
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Studies Say Music Is The Way To Brainpower
by Kevin Burton My father wanted me to study computer programming in college. He had that charming way of pushing his desires for himself onto other people. I wanted to be a journalist – an unblinking champion of the truth and a painter with words. I had that charming way of evaluating ideas …
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Little-Known Facts About McDonald’s
by Kevin Burton I used to think I liked McDonalds chicken nuggets – until the time I forgot to ask for barbecue sauce. Oops! McNuggets are my choice at McDonalds because I hate everything else. McDonalds in not our restaurant rotation. When we travel to beep baseball tournaments this summer we …
More English Words From Japanese
by Kevin Burton Some of my totally blind friends used to fold dollar bills in certain ways so they would know what denomination they were. That was before the days of bill reader devices, so I’m not sure anybody does that folding any more. Anyway I used to call that folding that people …
English Words That Come From Japanese
by Kevin Burton Words do not respect borders, nor do they need passports to move from country to country. We don’t think of Japan so much as an origin for English words, but plenty of words are borrowed from Japanese. Merriam-Webster dictionary has served up a basketful, some of which I bring today. …
The Science Behind Flying Time And Aging
by Kevin Burton This is a story about “approach motivation” and “the ganas,” also known as time flies when you’re having fun. See also: time flies all the time. “Time flies when you’re having fun.” Nobody had to explain that one to you, even the first time you heard it. Here’s some …
Come On Cavs! Recalling Miracle Of Richfield
by Kevin Burton Some memories have a soundtrack and this one has the best. On April 29, 1976 the Cleveland Cavaliers played in what they now call The Miracle of Richfield. It was the first playoff berth for the Cavs, who were born as an NBA expansion team in 1970. In the first …
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Multiple English Idioms By The Numbers
by Dictionary Scoop In every language, there is a type of gem known as idioms that add spice to our conversations, relying on context and shared understanding to convey messages in a not-so-direct way. Today, we’ll explore ten idioms in English that play with numbers. 1 One-horse town Many idioms begin as a literal phrase that …
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