August

(under construction)

Week 1- native Week 2- oblige Week 3- palm Week4- quadrant Week 5- range

Native.080315.Monday

“He wishes he could speak English like a native.” One’s native tongue is natural and hard for foreigner’s to learn. We learn our native tongue at a very young age and much of it is learned in a subconscious manner. Our words and the way that they are spoken come to us in a very natural way. Those whose native tongue is not English must make a conscious effort to learn the meanings, verbal nuances and regional dialect to acquire the word inflections of proper English. Learn to appreciate your native tongue and its uniqueness!

Native.080415.Tuesday

“There are many desert type plants like the Saguaro cactus that are native to Arizona’s arid climate.” A plant living or growing naturally in a particular region is one meaning for native. This is one of several definitions that are used with this word. A couple of others are one born in a particular place and things belonging to or associated with one by birth. These are the most commonly used meanings for native. Another use also common is “relating to, or being a member of an aboriginal people of North or South America” such as Native Americans. As a local resident where you live, you are native to that area!

Native.080515.Wednesday

“She has a native ability to learn quickly.” In this example, we see native used in the sense of a talent that is inborn or innate to a person. Sometimes native is used to indicate something that is associated with a specific characteristic in a person and may be seen in those associated with a certain group of in an area. Native is also a sign for something peculiar to a specific place of birth or origin. Speech patterns can be a native ability that will identify a person with a specific area within a state or country. Your ‘native’ tongue can be a tip-off to where you were born and raised!

Native.080615.Thursday

“She’s a native of Turkey who moved to the United States when she was 15.” This lady will exhibit innate or subconscious habits of speech or dress that will indicate that she’s an immigrant to the U. S. and not a natural born or Native American. Her immigrant background will be hard for her to erase and she will have to learn how to cope with it. Because of her youth, she will be able to adjust and become a part of where she lives and works. Youth will help her to overcome many details of where she was born!

Native.080715.Friday

“The native language of relationships is love.” We know this to be true for “love bears all things, believes all things, endures all thing. Love never fails.” These words are from scripture and recorded in 1 Corinthians 13. They give us the essence of love as the native language of relationships. If you are having problems with your relationships, check your knowledge of what you do to fulfill these qualities that are found in 1 Corinthians 13. How well you know and exhibit these expressions of love will determine the health of your relationships!

Return to 2015 Index

Oblige.081015.Monday

“The law obliges the government to release certain documents to the public.” Our word this week is a very stiff and formal sounding thought. It is a word that accommodates certain actions and insists on a proper state of mind. In the example sentence it speaks of a law. It is the law that requires that certain documents that were secret or required restricted access to become public knowledge. It was passed to encourage freedom of information!

Oblige.081115.Tuesday

“She’s always ready to oblige her friends.” Oblige is a “heavy” word. It is a verb and means “to constrain by physical, moral, or legal force or by the exigencies of circumstance.” [Merriam-Webster] Also another meaning is “to put in one’s debt by a favor or service.” Again, it is “to do something as or as if as a favor.” This is a very forceful word to use because it indicates an action that will follow. Do yourself a favor and be obliged to all your friends!

Oblige.081215.Wednesday

“They asked for food and he obliged with soup and sandwiches.” This is an action verb and some type of activity must follow its use. In the case of our example sentence, the action was the provision of food. Oblige is an Anglo-French word that was first used in the 14th Century. A couple of synonyms that are common in meaning and use are “accommodate” and “favor.” These synonyms have the same flavor as oblige, but with less force. In this you are obliged to act!

Oblige.081315.Thursday

“Today, I am obliged to do something that I do not want to do.” We see in today’s example that ‘oblige’ will ‘force or require’ that something be done. The sense of this is that of a legal rule or law which requires an action that will produce some kind of end result. It speaks of an action that is required no matter what the final impact will be. This is a meaning to ‘oblige’ that is quite different from that which one does for another as a favor. I am obliged to do what is legally correct or suffer bad consequences!

Oblige.081415.Friday

“Our relationships oblige us to respond favorably to requests.” Oh Yes! That is one activity that a good relationship will require and that is we must respond with favor when a good friend asks. Unlike a legal enforcement, it is not the same as obeying the law. However, the lack of a favorable response can cause damage or harm to the relationship. Before refusing to ‘oblige’ someone with a favor, think it through to make sure that great damage will not occur if you refuse, and if you must, do so with thoughtfulness and consideration. Oblige your friends unless it is immoral or unlawful!

Return to 2015 Index

Palm.081715.Monday

“A palm frond (or leaf) was used in biblical times as a sign of victory.” Our word this week is one that can be a little confusing depending upon how it is used. It is both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it means a tree-like plant that has many uses. As a verb it is most usually connected with an action of the hand. It is even used as a sport’s term. To ‘palm’ a basketball is a rule infraction!

Palm.081815.Tuesday

“The dealer had learned how to palm a card and cheat in the game.” The meaning of ‘palm’ runs the gamut of being a sign of victory to a way to cheat at cards. In our example sentence it means “to hide something in the inside middle part of one’s hand.” As a leaf branch of the palm tree, it was often used in times past as a sign of victory or triumph. It can also mean something that covers the palm of one’s hand like a glove. Another less used meaning of palm is the flat expanded part at the end of an anchor’s base. Be careful if you hide something in the palm of your hand!

Palm.081915.Wednesday

“The doctor looked at the palm of her hand which was red and swollen.” In this use of ‘palm’ we see signs of a medical application. Being red and swollen could be a symptom of a burn or abrasion. As a part of the body, it can be viewed as a sign or condition of health. In its normal healthy state the palm of the hand is pink, not red and swollen. Perhaps, this is where we get the expression “in the pink” of good health!

Palm.082015.Thursday

“The store’s owner had seen one of the girls palm a lipstick before heading for the door.” In its verb form, we see palm used to indicate an unlawful action as in “to hide something in the inside middle part of one’s hand.” In this negative use of the word, we see it as an action to steal and avoid payment. This action is one that must be practiced to gain a certain skill. Failure to learn this skill brings unwanted punishment!

Palm.082115.Friday

“He was eating out of the palm of her hand.” This expression is not a good one for relationships. They should be balanced as much as possible. However, in many relationships there will be a dominant partner and a submissive partner. If the relationship is well balanced, it will be hard to tell if one is dominant. A dominant partner is needed because someone has to take the burden of responsibility. As Harry Truman once said, “The buck stops here!”

Return to 2015 Index

Quadrant.082415.Monday

“I crush the quadrant, the thunder turns the needles, and now the mad sea parts the log-line.” This is a line from Herman Melville’s book “Moby Dick” in which Captain Ahab is searching for the great white whale. He used a ‘quadrant’ device to chart his ship’s position on the voyage. It did not seem to be working correctly so he threw it on the deck in anger. Be careful; watch your quadrants and don’t get angry!

Quadrant.082515.Tuesday

“They searched and found the wrecked ship in the second quadrant.” This example sentence uses ‘quadrant’ in its most classic sense. It means “one part of something that is evenly divided into four parts.” This is a normal geometry use of quadrant. It can also mean an instrument or device that looks like a quarter of a circle. Another similar meaning is “any of the four quarters into which something is divided by two real or imaginary lines that intersect each other at right angles.” Use it but be sure that your quadrants are correctly structured!

Quadrant.082615.Wednesday

“Her patient had pain in the lower right quadrant of the abdomen.” In our example today we see ‘quadrant’ used in a medical sense. Any organ of the body can usually be assigned a part or division of a circle. In this case, it is used to designate a segment or quarter of the stomach. That helps narrow down what is happening and where. With this, we see ‘quadrant’ used to locate a specific area that needs treatment. Keep in mind that ‘quadrant’ is used to indicate “one part of something that is evenly divided into four geometric parts.” It helps us to focus on or locate an area of search. Know your quadrants and what they mean!

Quadrant.082715.Thursday

“The starship Endeavor was assigned to search a lightly traveled quadrant of the fourth galaxy.” In this use of the word ‘quadrant’ we see that it gives us the feel of exploration. As a search area, we see that it gives a focus to the area being searched. The sense of its use is that of filling in information about a sector of a region about which little information is known. The object of the search is divided into four equal parts and then each part is investigated to increase knowledge about it. The impact is an increase in knowledge. Get to know your quadrant well!

Quadrant.082815.Friday

How well do you know your relationships? An easy way is to do an intensity quadrant analysis. Each of you relationships will fit into one of four intensity quadrants. Quadrant one is easy for it will be your spouse if you are married or the one you are engaged to. Quadrant two is more complex as it will be family members, such as mother, father, siblings and close acquaintances who you spend much time with. Quadrant three is those that you know and include for special occasions. Quadrant four are those occasional associations that little or no impact on your daily life. Quadrant relationships are important to know for important interactions!

Return to 2015 Index

Range.083115.Monday

“Home, Home on the range.” These words are from an old cowboy song that was popular during the ‘40s and‘50s. It is talking about spacious pasturelands that existed in the Old West during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The ‘range’ was the scene of many cattle drives and rancher ‘turf’ wars of that period. In our modern world of today, we seldom use range in this way. We use it mostly as a historical idiom. Be careful not to let your range get out of hand!

Range.090115.Tuesday

“I didn’t know she had such a wide range of knowledge until I talked to her.” The way ‘range’ is used in this sentence is defined as “the total amount of ability, knowledge, experience, etc., that a person has.” This meaning is one of several for range. Another meaning is “a series of numbers that includes the highest and lowest possible amounts.” Also, range can be used to indicate “a group or collection of different things or people that are usually similar in some way.” Range is also used by surveyors to indicate rows in a land survey. Know your range and what it means!

Range.090215.Wednesday

“Items on the menu range from American fare like hamburgers and hot dogs to Italian pasta dishes.” Our example sentence today is an illustration of the definition “a group or collection of different things or people that are usually similar in some way.” In this case it is a menu card of food items. Here we see it as series of things in a line on a café menu. This ‘range’ is the result of the owner’s offering of food items at his place of business. Therefore, his ‘range’ tells you what his eating establishment specializes in preparing for his clientele. Your friends should be well acquainted with your range of abilities!

Range.090315.Thursday

“Gray wolves range over a much smaller area than they once did.” Range is use here in the sense of describing a “region throughout which a kind of organism or ecological community naturally lives or occurs.” The example statement tells us about the habitat of the gray wolf and that its size is shrinking. This shrinking of its habitat is one of the reasons this animal is being protected. Its ability to hunt for its food is hampered by encroachment of human development on its habitat. It is now protected and its population is increasing in many of our national parks. Don’t put yourself in danger by wandering into the wolf’s habitat range!

Range.090415.Friday

Relationships range from cloud nine to the pits of torment. Yes, relationships do have a range. In that sense, range means an “aggregate of individuals in one order.” For example, the range is from good to bad. The good includes our mate or BFF and the bad includes those you know but don’t like their irritating habits or annoying idiosyncrasies. Such relationships can cause physical harm, like a stalker, or cause us to be taxed mentally by their actions. Chart those relationships in this lower range and take steps to protect yourself from them!

Return to 2015 Index