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Welcome to Varied Expressions of Worship

Welcome to Varied Expressions of Worship

This blog will be written from an orthodox Christian point of view. There may be some topic that is out of bounds, but at present I don't know what it will be. Politics is a part of life. Theology and philosophy are disciplines that we all participate in even if we don't think so. The Bible has a lot to say about economics. How about self defense? Is war ethical? Think of all the things that someone tells you we should not touch and let's give it a try. Everything that is a part of life should be an expression of worship.

Keep it courteous and be kind to those less blessed than you, but by all means don't worry about agreeing. We learn more when we get backed into a corner.

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Opus 2023-124: Weasel Words

Can you tell the difference between these two statements?

    Last night we had 3-5 inches of rain in three hours.
    Last night we had 3-4 inches of rain in some areas.

The first is the verbal report I got from the TV watcher in my family.  The second was what I heard when I happened to be passing through the room at a later time where the TV was on.

To anyone who is paying attention or pausing to think, the two statements are totally different.  One, part of the Fake News Weather, is designed to strike fear into the hearts of mortals.  Much of the information we are exposed to is presented this way.  There are frequent weasel words.  They are modifiers that exaggerate the point being expostulated.  Many people say...  It has been reported...  It is possible... the list of escape clauses are endless.  We frequently fall for them.  

It can come in other forms that I have written about before such as labeling lemon drops a “fat free food” or a rice product as “gluten free”.  

Stay alert.  Don’t drink the kool-aide.  Don’t give out your social security number over the phone.  Don’t believe anything you hear from the monogram broadcasters.  Don’t believe everything you read, unless I write it, of course.  And always count your change.

homo unius libri

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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.