Month: September 2015
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asylum
Last post, I considered the origin of refugee. The word comes from Latin, as we saw, though so many of the actual refugees are fleeing Syria and other Middle Eastern and North African countries to seek asylum in Europe. Here, let’s seek the origin of asylum. Asylum In my experience, asylum evokes two phrases in the English language: political asylum and insane or lunatic asylum. The latter…
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refugee
According to the UN, more than 4 million refugees have fled Syria, among other countries, for neighboring countries and Europe. The humanitarian crisis is complicated, dramatic, and tragic, as we so sadly observed in the toddler who washed ashore a Turkish beach. As the international community figures out how to help the refugees, some debate has flared…
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Strong language, strong numbers
Be advised: There’s some swearing ahead. In spite of being all about zero, I think my latest post on Strong Language has it all: linguistics, mathematics, politics, sociology, media and cultural studies. I can’t even keep count. Good thing we have the Count. But you should ignore him. Give a fuck and head on over…
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hurricane
It’s been 10 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and regions along the Gulf Coast. This past month, many news organizations have been reflecting on Katrina – and lessons we’ve learned from it – as the region continues to recover and rebuild. Are there any lessons in the origin of the word hurricane? Hurricane According to the Oxford…
Mashed Radish 