English Heteronyms

 It’s all English!

Good morning!  This morning I want to introduce you to Heteronyms.  Ever heard of them?  They are those words that are spelled the same, but have a different pronunciation and different meaning. 

For you grammar geeks out there heteronyms may be FUN, but for a non-English speaking person trying to learn our language, they can be a challenge and sometimes weird!  So, here are a few examples…

• On the farm they produce produce.
• He could lead if he would get the lead out.
• A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
• When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
• They were too close to the door to close it.
• The buck does funny things when the does are present.
• The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
• Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
• I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

Let's face it - English is a crazy language…. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.  And yet, it’s all English!  

And that’s the Bottom of our News on this Sept 25, 2015.

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Uncommon Murphy's Laws

If Something Can Go Wrong...

Good morning! I would guess you the definition of Murphy's Law… If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong (Sometimes known as the 4th law of Thermodynamics).

Captain Edward A. Murphy, an American engineer at Muroc, California (Edwards Air Force Base) came up with the first law.

In 1949 he was working on a project to test the effects of sudden braking. Time after time his machinery failed and finally, he said 'If there is any way to do it wrong, I will find it.' The phrase stuck and quickly became widely used.

Here are a few of the lesser known Murphy’s laws…

• He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
• Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
• Those who live by the sword, get shot by those who don't.
• The shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.
• If the shoe fits, get another one just like it.
• Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
• Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat, drinking beer all day.

So, as we enter this beautiful weekend, may you NOT experience a Murphy’s Law moment! And that is the Bottom of our News on this Sept 18, 2015!

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My Family's 911

Remembering  911

Where were you this morning 14 years ago?  I would guess that you can recall exactly where you were when you first heard the news of planes flying into the World Trade Center towers.

I was in a hotel in Galena, IL doing my final prep to lead a training conference with my 35 team members from around the Midwest.  Needless to say, my meeting didn't happen.

For me, my first memorable 911 was 43 years ago.  It was my first day of college and that evening, while watching the 10 o’clock news I heard of a teenager from my hometown who had been killed in a car accident.  They didn't release the name until the immediate family could be notified.  I was that family.  Soon after I got the phone call.  

John Drewelow was 16, full of life, high energy, never a dull moment, highly competitive, my rival, my friend, my brother. 

Out of our 911 tragedy came some very powerful positives.  My dad had remarried five years earlier when I inherited three new siblings.  We went from two families to one that day.  The 911 for my family brought us together and made us stronger. 

911 for our country did the same.  It brought us together.  Made us stronger.

Yesterday, 14 years ago, millions of Americans went to bed quietly, with no thought that the next morning their world would change forever.  That night hundreds packed flight bags they would not live to open.  Thousands slept with loved ones for the last time.  One never knows what a new day has in store.

Live each day to the fullest, and never miss a chance to let those dearest to you know of your love for them.  So, tonight if you have someone in your life that you love, tell them.

Events such as these are etched in time and in our memory.  May we always remember.  May we never forget.  

And that is our news on this day 911, 2015.  

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