There's Something Crooked About 'Change'

The word "change" clings like ChapStick to the lips of presidential candidates these days. But if Hillary and the chaps knew the origin of the word "change," they might not stick with it.

"Change" first appeared as both a verb and noun in Middle English during the 1200s. In 1300, for instance, a piece of writing dubbed "Cursor M." (which would make a really cool screen name) included this sentence: "He chaunges crun or wede." After rummaging around in a Middle English dictionary, I discovered this means something like, "He changes gully and weed," a skill that might have come in handy during the Dust Bowl era.

In 1340, someone named Hampole wrote that "he ofte chaunged to and fra," which pretty much describes the shifting policies of today's presidential candidates. (Could "fra" be a prescient reference to Rudy Giuliani, who has changed his frau twice? Hmm ... ) The word "chaunge" was imported into Middle English from the Old French "changier," which, in turn, had been derived from the Latin "cambiare," meaning "to exchange."

But here's the game-changer: There's strong evidence that "cambiare" came from the Old Irish "camm," which meant -- get ready to wince, politicians -- "crooked."

So, over the course of 1,200 years, a humble Irish word meaning "crooked" went through a few changes itself, migrating from Old Irish to Latin to French and then back again to the British Isles, where it entered Middle English meaning "change." Perhaps the presidential administration of the change-loving candidate who wins should be dubbed "Camm-elot."

The candidates, of course, can choose among any number of synonyms for "change," but the trendiest terms related to mutability seem to be the adjectives "transformational" and "transformative."

Writing in the Atlantic Monthly, for instance, Andrew Sullivan described Barack Obama's candidacy as "potentially transformational." Last Thursday, Washington Post columnist George Will described the interval between the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary as "six transformative days."

And BBC reporter Justin Webb recently wrote, "The buzzword here on the subject of the 2008 presidential election is that it will be 'transformative.' ... I am at a disadvantage though: I am not sure what 'transformative' really means."

Maybe we should just stick with "change."


story by Rob Kyff

I am not happy today???

I just wondered about my Rankwidgets today especially my Alexa Traffic rank which is now 6.977,299..The last days, it was Rank Number 12...and now what happened???? I hope it will go back to normal 12 as this is just quite depressing...I am not happy guys..!!!

Thanks to Technorati my Rank is getting higher from 6million something to 121,630...really good job!!...I'm just doing my best!!! Wish everyone a great evening!!!

Words -- Just Words

Several years ago, while on a long flight, I was seated next to a flight attendant who had broken her leg in an accident. Eventually, we started talking, and I found her language to be shocking. It seemed so inappropriate; she was a vivacious, personable young woman. Frankly, filthy language offends me, so I commented on her choice of words. She, in turn, expressed amazement that I was offended and said they were "just words." I responded, "You're right. And I'm sure this is the way you talk in front of your parents." She responded, "Absolutely not!" So I commented, "Well, why not? They're 'just words.'"

The truth is that our language does betray us. Our words are a direct reflection of our thoughts, and anyone who is incapable of expressing himself without the use of profanity is becoming handicapped to an incredible degree.

It has been my observation that improper language bars individuals from certain jobs, organizations and social situations. In my lifetime, I have never heard of an employer instructing a personnel manager to hire an individual because of his filthy, vulgar language. I've never heard of a young girl going home and telling her parents that they must meet her date for the evening, pointing out that he has the "filthiest language" she has ever heard or that he tells the dirtiest jokes you can imagine. I frequently advise wannabe speakers to be very careful of their language, warning them that they never will get engagements because of vulgar, racist or sexist language but that inappropriate language will frequently crop them from consideration.

What all of this really means is that vulgar, violent, improper language or coarse, racist, sexist jokes will limit opportunities in the choice of a mate, the selection of a job, the building of a career and the establishment of friendships.

The message is clear: Learn the language rules. Practice them in your everyday life, and I will see you at the top, Zig Ziglar said!

----

Grow/Swell

As a rookie salesman, I had a very difficult time getting started. However, once the ball started rolling, I enjoyed a spectacular four-year run of success. This led to a career change and a new job in New York City. It was exciting and rewarding but required that I leave home each morning before my two little girls were awake, and most of the time, when I returned at night, they were asleep already. I could not handle that style of parenting, so in just three months' time, we moved back to Columbia, S.C.

I got into a promotional-type business and temporarily enjoyed some success, which quickly evaporated. At that point, I stopped growing and started swelling, which led to 15 additional job and career changes within the following five years. I became a super-critic, a know-it-all and a very difficult person to work with. One of the companies I briefly worked for was an insurance company that had been in business for many years. This astonished me because they were obviously way behind the times, and I had some absolutely brilliant ideas that would revolutionize their business and expand their market share. They rejected these very significant ideas. I left in a huff, wondering how they ever would survive -- which, incidentally, they did.

After five frustrating years, I finally had a reality check and realized that the success I enjoyed earlier had come because I had committed myself completely to improving what I did instead of assuming I knew it all. I made a strong commitment to the new company I represented and worked hard and enthusiastically while continually acquiring new information from those who had beaten many paths before I came along. Interestingly enough, results were excellent and progress was steady, and just two years later, I was on a career path that has been most rewarding and satisfying.

I hope the message is clear. Keep growing. Don't start swelling. Listen to those who have had successful experiences.

by Zig Ziglar

Wake-Up Call

I always get-up in the morning by wake-up calls. Last Monday, I woke up by a friend's call... Tuesday by a telephone advertisement call.. Wednesday by my own alarm since I had an appointment with my dentist. Today, I woke-up by my friend from VHS Neumarkt who called me around 8:00 am.

I am very happy to wake-up everyday, facing my day to day tasks and activities. For all those who wake me up by their calls, thank you very much. I am thankful to God that I always wake up everyday, healthy and have the chance to face again the daily challenges in life.

Today's call was different because it is regarding a person who needs help very badly. My friend in VHS explain to me about it and I am also willing to help whatever help I can give. It is always a very wonderful feeling when you help someone especially help and support that comes from the heart without asking for any return. I also really admired the extra effort, help and support extended by VHS team to all Integrations Course participants.

I really appreciate the excellent jobs that the VHS Neumarkt are extending to the Integrations Course students or participants not only with helping them to learn German language, its culture and history but also any personal help they can offer.

I already witnessed and experienced the excellent service provided by VHS Neumarkt as I was also a participant before in the German Integrations Course.

I would advise Auslaenders or Foreigners who want to take the Integration Course to visit Volkhochschule (VHS) Neumarkt at Gartenstrasse 1, 92318 Neumarkt or contact them at tel.# 09181-25950 or write them at info@vhs-neumarkt.de. You can also visit their homepage here.

To all VHS Team especially to Ms. Claudia Z., Mr. Rainer H. and to my previous teachers...KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!

Fasching in Germany

I witnessed last year a Fasching or Carnival in Dietfurt, a small village in Neumarkt, Germany. It was really lot of fun seeing people with different masks and customes. I'm just sad that I cannot witness it again this year as my husband can't go with me and I don't want to drive alone there since I also don't know the way. Here are some photos I took last year. Some photos can also be found here.

















What is it?

Carnival season is a time of wild fancy-dress parties and costume-balls, which are open to the public. Carnival reaches its climax in big street processions with elaborately decorated floats, usually on Rosenmontag. Carnival celebrations happen mainly in the Catholic parts of Germany. Nevertheless, Karneval parties do occur in some places in the north of Germany.

When is it?

Officially it starts am elften elften elf Uhr elf (11th November at 11:11am) and continues in a fairly low-key way for about three months before the Tolle Tage (Crazy Days) which climax on Rosenmontag, the 42nd day before Easter. Carnival season is traditionally seen as a chance for people to go wild and let their hair down before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. In the Christian church Lent is a serious time before Easter for fasting (eating no food or very little food) and making up for your sins and mistakes.

Why the different names for it?

Carnival is a regional festival and is celebrated in different ways according to different local traditions. It’s known as:

Karneval in the Rheinland area;
Fastnacht around the city of Mainz ('fasting night', or eve of Lent, the period of fasting);
Fasnet in Swabia (south-west region of Germany) and in the south-west of the state of Bavaria;
Fosnat in the Franken region (northern Bavaria), and as
Fasching around the city of München and in Austria.

What do people do?

Carnivals are held in southern German cities, and in the Rheinland cities of Mainz, Aachen, Bonn and Düsseldorf. The biggest and zaniest Karneval is in Köln. The first written record of the Köln carnival is from the year 1341. Köln has the Dreigestirn (three Stars): the Carnival Prince (known as Seine Tollität, ‘His Craziness’), the Bauer (peasant) and the Jungfrau (virgin). The Jungfrau has always been a man. It is a great honour to be a member of the Dreigestirn, and they are elected each October from the members of Köln’s 105 historic carnival associations.

The Köln carnival involves heaps of street-parties and pub-parties, with people disguising themselves in all sorts of ways. In fact, on Rosenmontag you stand out as unusual if you aren’t wearing some sort of mad costume or haven’t painted a clown-face on yourself. At the parades and costume-balls people are dressed as sheiks, Vikings (with hairy coats and horned helmets), Attila the Hun, clowns and harlequins, devils, witches, animals, or fruit, and in many other creative ways . Köln’s many Karneval associations put a lot of effort into building and decorating the floats for the Rosenmontag parade. As the floats pass by, the costumed people on board them pelt the street crowds with lollies and sweets while they sing the many old Karneval songs. The Mariechen, acrobatic dancing troupes of girls entertain the crowds as part of the parade. In the parade the Carnival Prince has a royal bodyguard who are dressed in uniforms of the early 1800s. The bodyguards remind the crowd of the city’s tradition of anti-militarism by disobeying orders (eg turning in the wrong direction) and by sticking flowers in their rifle-barrels. About 1.5 million people go to the Rosenmontag parade in Köln.

Weiberfastnacht (women’s carnival night) is the Thursday before Rosenmontag, and it is tradition that women are allowed to cut off the tie of any man within reach, and to kiss any man they want to. Women going out that night to pubs take scissors with them. Rosenmontag is not an official holiday but in areas of Germany that celebrate Karneval, workers usually get the day off. On Rosenmontag German television devotes a lot of time to Karneval am Rhein.

History

As described above, Karneval is associated with festivals of the Christian church (wild partying before Lent begins). However, it goes back to pagan times, and was a way of driving out the evil spirits of winter and encouraging the coming of spring and good crops. Ugly masks worn for this purpose are still worn in carnival festivals in southern Germany. Karneval can be traced back to pagan Roman festivals, which may explain why Köln and Mainz, two ancient cities with Roman history, have such big carnivals. In the Middle Ages, Karneval gave the people a break from the tightly structured class system, as they were able to hide their social background behind imaginative masks and costumes. Poor people were able to mix with all other levels of society and share fun with them. In those days people would dress up as knights, damsels and even priests, as a way of making fun of them. In a similar way, people these days sometimes wear masks which make fun of well-known politicians or celebrities.

A Very Important Lesson

Got this interesting story from my email..just want to share it with you peeps...
here it goes..

Three years ago, I adopted a purebred Sheltie from a rescue
shelter. His name was Buster. He had bad teeth and his fur
stuck out no matter what. I didn't care. He was my dog. He had
a few owners in his life, and I promised him that I would
never give him up, no matter what. Earlier this year, we found
out Buster had an enlarged heart. The vet gave him six to
eighteen months.

Buster was having seizures that were probably causing brain
damage. Last Friday night, he had a seizure and cracked his
head against the sofa. He couldn't walk after that. He kept
bumping into walls and experienced constant bowel movements and
vomiting. My dog was gone. Buster was no longer there. His body
was walking around, but that was all. I decided he needed to be
put to sleep.

He went to sleep on December 21, 2007, less than a month
before his ninth birthday. I feel his absence keenly. I
sincerely hope and pray dogs do get into heaven. After all,
D-O-G is G-O-D spelled backward.

Buster had no worries at all. He knew that I would feed him
and water him in a timely manner and that I would take care
of him no matter what. In return, he gave me his loyalty and
undying love.

He taught me a very important lesson:

This is what God wants from us.

I feel awed that such a simple creature could teach so
valuable a lesson with deeds and not words. I already loved
God with all my heart, without reservation, and followed him.
And now, I love God even more than I thought possible.

~A MountainWings Original by Michael Dowds, Peyton, Colorado~

Quote for Today

Great Men
==========

Great men are they who see
that the spiritual is stronger
than any material force.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~