August

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Week 1 – Hypochondriac Week 2 – Acrimony Week 3 – Convulse Week 4 – Formal

hypochondriac.080717.Monday

“America has an addiction to polls quite similar to that of  a hypochondriac’s obsessive monitoring of his pulse rate.” Key question: do polls accurately forecast the feelings of voters? As with a hypochondriac, polls give us an indicator of what the voter is thinking but many times that thinking is not real but biased because of how the pollster phrases the question and the number of people that the poll covers. These two things can skew the respondents answer. Any poll should be taken with a grain of salt as to its application especially when it concerns politics. Don’t be a hypochondriac about what polls say!

hypochondriac.080817.Tuesday

“Others had called him a hypochondriac in the past, but this was different.” The noun definition of hypochondriac is “a person who is often or always worried about his or her own health.” But as an adjective it relates to anatomy, as “of, relating to, or being the two regions of the abdomen lying on either side of the epigastric region and above the lumbar regions.” In other words above the stomach area. The adjective is most often used as a medical description where the noun is most often used to describe one’s mental state. It is not good for one to be called a hypochondriac!

hypochondriac.080917.Wednesday

“He was a self-avowed hypochondriac but did suffer from a real ailment.” A true medical condition will manifest itself with truly identifiable symptoms. Most hypochondriacs suffer from a psychotic self-induced condition. But when a real ailment shows itself with specific symptoms, the condition can become difficult to treat because of the patient’s underlying psychotic tendency, so treating the real disease can be complicated. Identifying the real symptoms and separating them from the phantom symptoms takes a high level of expertise. Self-avowed hypochondriacs do sometimes have real health issues!

hypochondriac.081017.Thursday

“The main character in the TV series “Monk” is a hypochondriac.” This character has more odd habits than one can imagine. By contrast, it seems he is blessed with an analytical mind for solving crimes. It seems odd that such an intelligent person would have so many phobias about things in everyday life. It raises the question of whether his intelligence is a blessing or a curse. Hypochondriacs are very unhappy people because they think mostly about being sick!

hypochondriac.081117.Friday

“My neighbor is a real hypochondriac because every time he reads about some new disease, he thinks he has it.” This is a condition that can put real stress on any relationship. How do you effectively communicate with someone who is disconnected from reality? Many of us can have active imaginations, but seldom do we act upon such unfounded mental images as if they are real. He lives in a fantasy world. The hypochondriac has a distinct problem that he many times cannot separate fact from fantasy especially when it concerns his own personal health!

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acrimony.081417.Monday

“The dispute about the Trump election win has continued with increased acrimony.” If there were legal reasons for the dispute, it might be grounds for concern, but the election was confirmed. The opposition party is hard pressed to explain why they lost. Rather than accept reality, they have continued to wage a negative media campaign against the President and the election results. Like unruly and rebellious children, they continue to cause chaos and confusion as is the habit of socialist. They blame someone else and refuse to look at their own responsibility for failure. They prefer to keep the fires of acrimony burning!

acrimony.081517.Tuesday

“Her intent was to set sister against sister and to cause acrimony.” This person is a true picture of evil intent. This example sentence lays out for us the meaning of acrimony. The Webster’s dictionary definition of this noun is a) anger and bitterness, b) harsh or biting sharpness especially of words, manner, or feelings. Acrimony portrays in one word the most negative motivation for action against a person or group of people. The end result of acrimony is never a positive motive. Do not be guilty of causing acrimony!

acrimony.081617.Wednesday

“He responded with such acrimony that she never brought the subject up again.” This man’s response was full of anger and bitterness. The reasons behind his negative emotional reply may never be revealed, but it is apparent that he has had an event that affected him deeply. On the subject she raised, it is one on which he has never truly fully recovered. Such deep seated negative emotions are like a cancer that continues to grow and fester. It will continue to impact his life and may eventually bring him to lose his ability to control his own life. The sooner one deals with the source of acrimony the better it will be!

acrimony.081717.Thursday

“The dispute began again with increased acrimony.” Political correctness in our present era has created an environment in which disputes are a common occurrence. Such disputes cause dissension and strife. It is a ploy by liberals to establish ground rules for interactions between people that are politically acceptable or unacceptable. It is a means of changing moral values to replace traditional thinking with new values that are more open and accepting of change based upon what is politically acceptable. Acrimony has become a political tool to change old values and replace them with new ideologies!

acrimony.081817.Friday

“After two years of acrimony, he left her when she refused to have an abortion.” In a relationship, it is hard to live with acrimony. To have a positive and vibrant relationship with another person is extremely difficult when one has an attitude of anger and bitterness. There is a tendency to respond with harshness to what the other party says. Bitterness will continue to fester until the core issues is resolved and it usually comes with explosive force. Seldom is the core issues resolved in a calm and reasonable manner. Don’t let acrimony become a disintegrating force in your relationships!

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convulse.082117.Monday

“The liberal contingent of our country was convulsed by its negative reaction to the Trump election.” The 2016 election jolted the liberals because they lost. Their reaction has been to dredge up any negative or false event connected with the Trump administration. History tells us that when an event such as this happens and the reaction is negative, that it is a symptom of a dying nation. The liberals in this country are set against the rule of law and order. They prefer chaos and confusion instead of orderly progress. When such a large sector of a society is convulsed by traditional values, disintegration is not far away!

convulse.082217.Tuesday

“Donald Trump convulsed with laughter as he read the latest liberal fake news story.” This example sentence gives us one way in which the verb ‘convulse’ is used. Here it is in the past tense and means “to shake or agitate violently” as in spasms of laughter. Convulse is the transitive verb form, but it also is used as an intransitive verb as in “to become affected with convulsions.” The medical definition of convulse means “to have an experience in which the muscles in your body shake in a sudden violent way which you are not able to control.” To have convulsions is usually not a laughing matter!

convulse.082317.Wednesday

“The patient reacted to the medication and began to convulse.” Convulse is most often used in medical terminology. It is an involuntary action in many people when something has been ingested or injected into the body and the body reacts in a negative manner. In non-medical use, it usually indicates some kind of violent response to some action or event. Seldom do we see convulse used in a positive or pleasant manner. Synonyms like shake, jerk and jolt are similar descriptors. When you see a person convulse, it is a warning sign and immediate action must be taken!

convulse.082417.Thursday

“After several minutes my body began to convulse, and it soon drained me of energy.” Sometimes when we take a new medication, we do not know how it will affect us. When we have a reaction like convulsions, it is most likely that the medication is not what we need to take for our illness. Our bodies are very sensitive and when we put a foreign substance into it we find out in a hurry if it is not what we need. When we convulse, it is most often a negative sign that a medication is not what we need to make us feel better and heal. If you convulse after taking a prescription med, get rid of it!

convulse.082517.Friday

“To her horror, she began giggling, causing her to squirm and her stomach to involuntarily convulse.” I have no clue what this lady was reacting to but it must have been somewhat pleasant or funny if she was giggling. Some relationships that we have with others can affect us in odd and maybe unexpected ways. When we meet new people, for extroverts it can be pleasant experience. However, for the introvert meeting someone new could be with a little apprehension. But to experience involuntary convulsion in one’s stomach is a little odd!

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formal.082817.Monday

“As POTUS, Donald Trump’s tone was formal.” Donald Trump was officially elected as President of the United States. Whether you like him or not, you should respect his duly elected position as POTUS. The position—President of the United States—should be respected whether you like the person in that position or not. The position is not about the person, but about out national leader. To disrespect the position is tantamount to blatant disrespect for our country. This present day lack of respect for the leader of our country will continue to erode confidence and respect by other countries for the U.S. It will tear down any authority that our nation will have around the world. If disrespect continues for the formally elected POTUS, it will bring us to disaster!

formal.082917.Tuesday

“He entered a formal objection to my plan.” Formal is most often used as an adjective, but can also be used as a noun. One meaning that is used often is “following or according with established for, custom, or rule.” Another way it is used is to be “characterized by punctilious respect for form and/or being methodical.” The literal definition is “relating to or involving the outward form, structure, relationship, or arrangement of elements rather than content.” Its use is to denote other than a common everyday action. Formal objections are a very serious matter!

formal.083017.Wednesday

“He submitted a formal bid to become a city contractor.” For a company or person to submit a formal bid means that it will be characterized by punctilious respect for form. A government entity, like a city, has requirements that demand actions such as bids for services or supplies be done in due or lawful form. It requires a formal process that the company or entity will meet certain requirements that comply with city standards. The content of the bid is then graded for its compliance to what the city requires. The winning bid is then accepted and made public as a recognized city supplier. Formal bids are used to acquire many city services and supplies!

formal.083117.Thursday

“The senator’s tone was formal and serious.” Key words in this example sentence are ‘formal’ and ‘serious.’ Both words do imply a strict attention to what is prescribed by custom or by ritual. The import of the senator’s words indicates a message that is to be taken by the hearer as important and with solemn concern. He intends for those who hear to give weight and value to the message and act accordingly. A formal tone is serious business!

formal.090117.Friday

“He asked her to the formal dance at the end of the year.” There are times in a relationship when it is time to celebrate. Some celebrations are for times for formal dress and ceremony. Other times, a celebration may be less formal and simply a time to reflect on happy events and enjoyment of the relationship. Relationships take work and care and remembering special events and milestones are part of that work and care. Pay special attention to anniversary dates, birthdays, and things that mark noteworthy events like graduations, etc. Sometimes remembering these events require formal attention!

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