“A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner.”
Folk Wisdom
A Mexican Poppy flowering near Piestewa Peak during the rain storm on Wednesday.
Skill
Words Seldom Seen: Shibboleth
Shibboleth
Noun: A word, phrase or other distinguishing mark that identifies one as a member of a group.
Example: “During the failed Russian invasion of Kyiv in February 2022 Ukrainians used the pronounciation of the word palianytsia as a shibboleth to identify Russian troops. The Russians pronunciation was quite different than the Ukrainian.”
Bonus fact: palianytsia is a Ukrianian bread.
Photo is of one of the many beautiful flowers in Hawaii.
Going Out
“I’m at that age where my back goes out more than I do.”
Phyllis Diller
Photo a Bird of Paradise in Hawaii.
Traveling
“You know you are really traveling when you run out of underwear.”
Lies
“Don’t lie if you don’t have to.”
Alone
No Coincidence?
“It is surely no coincidence that everyone in Britain drinks tea, and everyone there dies.”
Theodore Dalrymple, Mass Lysteria 1988
Subtitle “The Meaning of Health Scares”
This is a not so subtle illustration of the often ignored truth that correlation does not prove causation.
Words Seldom Seen: Sclerotic
Words Seldom Seen: Quotidian
Quotidian
Adjective: A fancy way of saying “an ordinary event.”
Example: “Doing the dishes is a quotidian event.”
