Misinformation: “False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.” – Socrates Readers of this column know of my fascination with words. That’s why the announcement by Dictionary.com that “misinformation” was its word of the year caught...
Avuncular: Resembling an uncle; friendly, helpful. – Collins English Dictionary Some of the best teachers are part-time actors. Dick Lee knew the value of theater in the classroom. When he taught media law at South Dakota State University, he donned a wig and...
Thanksgiving: “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John Kennedy I’m worried about Thanksgiving this year. It is being treated like a second-class citizen, bookended...
Election victory: “Winning the election is a good-news, bad-news kind of thing. OK, now you’re the mayor. The bad news is, now you’re the mayor.” – Clint Eastwood For a long time, I thought Stephanie Herseth Sandlin would be the state’s first female governor. She had...
Teacher: “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” – Henry Adams, American historian Anyone who knew Chuck Turbiville thought he deserved a “public servant” badge of honor on his chest. His dedication to his community of...
Ghost town: “A town permanently abandoned by its inhabitants, as because of a business decline or because a nearby mine has been worked out.” – Dictionary.com A stand of aspens flanked the old house and tall grass obscured the foundation, rendering a stark picture of...
Being a citizen: “We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” – Thomas Jefferson Does it seem like it’s hard work these days being a responsible citizen? I’m referring to the five ballot issues to be...
Sin tax: A tax levied on specific goods and services. Items include tobacco products, alcohol and gambling ventures. Sin taxes seek to deter people from engaging in socially harmful activities and behaviors, but they also provide a source of revenue for...
Newspapers: “I typically wake up at 5:30 and that’s my time. I read newspapers, have coffee” – Ivanka Trump On a road trip last week to the Gettysburg Battlefield in Pennsylvania, I purchased a copy of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Picking up daily and weekly...
Key fob: A small electronic security device with built-in authentication protocols or mechanisms to allow whoever possesses it to enter a secured network to access data or services. — Techopedia When the black Mercedes-Benz pulled into our driveway, I did a...
