As I age, my memory weakens more and more each day. The concept remains but the actual word for which I search just disappears, and the harder I try to remember it, the farther away it recedes. I wanted to find the word 'nepotism' but couldn't recall it. So I thought, there is probably an app for that. I did a search for "Reverse Dictionary" and, by way of Google magic, it came into view.
In the Reverse Dictionary's search field, I typed: "hiring family members" and clicked Find Word -- instantly 100 words appeared, the first one of which was 'nepotism,' the word for which I was searching.
Reverse Dictionary
Certain that I will be using this handy dandy feature often, I placed a shortcut icon on my desktop.
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Did you know:
The Kennedy family comprises a president (John F. Kennedy), an attorney general (Robert F. Kennedy), three senators (John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Edward Kennedy) and three congressmen (Patrick Kennedy, Joseph Kennedy II and his son Joseph Kennedy III), one lieutenant governor (Kathleen Kennedy Townsend) and two ambassadors (family patriarch Joseph Kennedy, who served as ambassador to England in Franklin Roosevelt's administration, and his daughter Jean, who was an ambassador to Ireland during the Clinton administration). And soon, President John F. Kennedy's daughter, Caroline Kennedy, might become ambassador to Japan.
And that's not all. There is lots more to be said about how political dynasties are not necessarily good for America.
Keli Goff asks: Do We Need Any More Clintons or Bushes?
Keli Goff
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On April 24, 1980, an ill-fated military operation to rescue the 52 American hostages held in Tehran ends with eight U.S. servicemen dead and no hostages rescued. President Jimmy Carter gave a press conference in which he took full responsibility for the tragedy. The hostages were not released for another 270 days.
In November, Carter lost the presidential election to Republican Ronald Reagan, On the day of Reagan's inauguration, January 20, 1981, the United States freed almost $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets, and the 52 hostages were released after 444 days.
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WORD FOR TODAY
dynasty
noun
1. A succession of rulers from the same family or line.
2. A family or group that maintains power for several generations: 'a political dynasty controlling the state.'
Barbara Streisand is an American singer-songwriter, actress, writer, film producer, and director. S is one of the most commercially and critically successful entertainers in modern entertainment history, with more than 71.5 million albums shipped in the United States and 140 million records sold worldwide. She is the best-selling female artist on the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) Top Selling Album Artists list.
After beginning a successful recording career in the 1960s, by the end of the decade, Streisand ventured into film starring in the critically acclaimed Funny Girl (1968) and Hello, Dolly! (1969). Other notable films include The Owl and the Pussycat, The Way We Were and A Star Is Born for which she received her second Academy Award for composing the lyrics to the picture’s main song, Evergreen.
Michael Parks
(April 24, 1940)
(April 24, 1940)
Michael Parks (born Harry Samuel Parks) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in almost fifty films and has made frequent TV appearances, but is probably best known for his work in recent years with Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Kevin Smith as well as the 1969 television series Then Came Bronson.
Shirley MacLean Beatty
(born April 24, 1934)
(born April 24, 1934)
Shirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author. She has won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress -- Motion Picture Musical or Comedy twice, for her roles in The Apartment and Irma la Douce, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress -- Motion Picture Drama twice for Terms of Endearment and Madame Sousatzka. Her younger brother is Warren Beatty. She is known for her New Age beliefs and interest in spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career.
Kelly Brianne Clarkson
(born April 24, 1982)
(born April 24, 1982)
Kelly Clarkson is an American singer, songwriter, and occasional actress. In 2002, she came to prominence after winning the first season of American Idol, and has since been established as "The Original American Idol". Her debut single "A Moment Like This" topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and broke the record for the biggest jump to number one in the chart's history; it became the best-selling single of the year in the country.
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Everybody gets everything handed to them. The rich inherit it. I don't mean just inheritance of money. I mean what people take for granted among the middle and upper classes, which is nepotism, the old-boy network.
--Toni Morrison
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