Common Words Borrowed From Arabic

by Kevin Burton     Have there been more impassioned articles written about the evil of alcohol or the evil of algebra?    Who can tell really? But these twin menaces are linked in today’s word list from Merriam-Webster, words borrowed by English from Arabic: Algebra    Anyone who has unpleasant memories of slogging through this …

The Bible Speaks Of Faith In Every Sense

by Kevin Burton    As a legally blind man my mind never gets too far from vision as the five sense in general.    That is partly because people often assume and talk about hearing being more acute for blind people than for others. That’s not true. It’s just that blind people rely on hearing …

No Staff, No Problem: Guests Run Hotel

by Amaris Encinas USA TODAY    Three friends took it upon themselves to manage a Nashville hotel for a few hours.    After a late night of partying, the trio was unable to check into their room at La Quinta Inn & Suites because there were no employees in sight.     The saga was first …

Groom Wears Blindfold To Honor Blind Bride

by Heather Campbell Deadline News    Lucy Edwards lost her eyesight at just 17 due to a rare genetic condition called incontinentia pigmenti, and married beau Ollie in an intimate wedding ceremony in Kew Gardens, London last month.    The 27-year-old took a unique approach to her big day though, requesting that her hubby and …

From India With Love: Ten Borrowed Words

by Kevin Burton    Hindi and Urdu are two of the languages spoken in India. Today, a list of words borrowed from those languages, courtesy of Merriam-Webster.    You can thank the dictionary and me today, if you are sleepy, or need to wash your hair: Pajamas: a loose usually two-piece lightweight suit designed especially for …

Blind Man Loses Website Discrimination Case

by  Jessica Stemple    (The following is a blog from the Valenci Rose law firm from Los Angeles.)    Consumers in America and around the world have embraced online shopping for everything from food and fashion to vehicles, medicine, travel, and countless other purchases. But many retail websites are inaccessible for consumers who are blind …

What If 911 Doesn’t Speak Your Language?

by Kevin Burton    Today’s post is kind of a follow-up to yesterday’s story about the best countries for expatriates.    The BBC did that story, based on a survey of people who had left their home country and settled elsewhere. My wife read it and asked “What about health care?” The story didn’t mention …

Survey Names Mexico Best Location For Expats

by Kevin Burton    I’ve done it before; I could do it again if I had to. So file this under “just in case.”    The BBC recently published a list of ten best countries for expatriates - people who leave their home country to live abroad – based on a survey by Internations, the …

The Sweet Elements Of The English Language

by Kevin Burton    Separate an Oreo cookie into its two elements and you’re going to find out, it’s all good stuff.     So it is when you start peeling apart words. They’re all sweet to the taste for some of us, even if at times they are bittersweet.    Merriam-Webster served up a particularly …

Shelter Dog Adopts Assisted Living Facility

by John Carlisle Detroit Free Press BELLAIRE, Mich. − He’d had enough of being at the animal shelter, so Scout the dog climbed over one tall fence and then another, crossed a busy highway in the darkness, entered the automatic doors of a nursing home down the road, walked unnoticed into the lobby, hopped onto …