Bric And Some Brac

Tucson Weather Today

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I have always believed that the word none was a shortened form of the phrase not one and was surprised to find that I was incorrect. The blog Grammarphobia explained:

"The word 'none,' by the way, is one of the oldest English words and one of the most misunderstood. A lot of people mistakenly believe that it’s always singular and always means not one. In fact, it’s usually plural and usually means not any (of a number of people or things), according to the Oxford English Dictionary."

A link to a more in-depth explanation is below.

Grammarphobia link


Another belief of mine is that some words are not subject to degree; one of those words is unique, whose meaning is one of a kind. Another example of a word that is not subject to degree is correct. As I was reading, yesterday, from an article by an esteemed author, I came across the following question and answer:

"Would that be correct?"

"Very correct"

And I thought, either the subject under discussion is correct or it is not correct; it cannot be very correct.

As usual, I suppose I am being overly critical in my judgment.

And possibly incorrect.

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY


August 8, 1974

In an evening televised address, President Richard M. Nixon announces his intention to become the first president in American history to resign. With impeachment proceedings underway against him for his involvement in the Watergate affair, Nixon was finally bowing to pressure from the public and Congress to leave the White House. "By taking this action," he said in a solemn address from the Oval Office, "I hope that I will have hastened the start of the process of healing which is so desperately needed in America."

Just before noon the next day, Nixon officially ended his term as the 37th president of the United States. Before departing with his family in a helicopter from the White House lawn, he smiled farewell and enigmatically raised his arms in a victory or peace salute. The helicopter door was then closed, and the Nixon family began their journey home to San Clemente, California. Minutes later, Vice President Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States in the East Room of the White House. After taking the oath of office, President Ford spoke to the nation in a television address, declaring, "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over." He later pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed while in office, explaining that he wanted to end the national divisions created by the Watergate scandal.

More . . .

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WORD FOR TODAY


byname
noun
A secondary name for a person or thing; a person's surname.
A nickname.
A pseudonym; nom-de-plume.
A ritual title for a god or goddess used in Heathenry.

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BORN ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY


Dustin Hoffman


Born Aug. 8, 1937
Age: 74 years old.

Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He first drew critical praise for the play Eh?, for which he won a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award. This was soon followed by his breakthrough movie role as the good-looking but troubled Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate (1967). Since then Hoffman's career has largely been focused on cinema, with only sporadic returns to television and the stage. Some of his most notable films are Papillon, Marathon Man, Midnight Cowboy, Little Big Man, Lenny, All the President's Men, Kramer vs. Kramer, Tootsie, Rain Man, and Wag the Dog.

Esther Williams


Born Aug. 8, 1921
Age: 90 years old.

Esther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star. Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II, Williams joined Billy Rose's Aquacade, where she took on the role vacated by Eleanor Holm after the show's move from New York City to San Francisco. There, she spent five months swimming alongside the Olympic swimmer and Tarzan star, Johnny Weissmuller.

Mel Tillis


Born Aug. 8, 1932
Age: 79 years old.

Lonnie Melvin Tillis, known professionally as Mel Tillis, is an American country music singer. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s, with a long list of Top 10 hits. Tillis's biggest hits include "I Ain't Never", "Good Woman Blues", and "Coca-Cola Cowboy". On February 13, 2012 President Barack Obama awarded Tillis the National Medal of Arts for his contributions to country music. He also has won the CMA Awards' most coveted award, Entertainer of the Year. He is also known for his speech impediment, which does not affect his singing voice. His daughter is country music singer Pam Tillis.

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A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits.
--Richard M. Nixon