I came across several good words this week as I reluctantly read the national news and enjoyed a Monkeewrench mystery. The albatross is a very large oceanic bird which can have a wingspan greater than 10 feet and are found mainly in the southern oceans. The name likely has its origin in Spanish and Portuguese, alcatraz-meaning pelican. In 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” The story goes that the bird is good luck and if the mariner shoots it – a curse follows. The crew blames the ensuing challenges on the captain’s action and in the end they hang the bird around his neck. Hence the albatross is a metaphor for a burden to carry as a penance. Mike Simpson, our Senior Idaho Congressman, used the metaphor when asked about the Republican defeat in the recent Alabama Senate race. I am a fan of Simpson’s clarity as he said, “the real winners are the American people, and actually the Republicans – we don’t have that albatross around our neck.” Politics aside the right person won the race – good luck Mr. Jones.
Nincompoop is not a word you hear much today. According to Webster it was first used in print in 1673. Wow, think of all the fool, simpleton, goon, imbecile, ignoramus, nimmyhammer, mooncalf, and toolbox’s that the world has suffered over the last 344 years. Seems like we have heard about quite a few of these blockheads recently. We really should try not to elect any of them to public office.
The 2017 word of the year is feminism. As far as our society may have come toward equality, the Time Magazine choice for Person of the Year—The Silence Breakers—makes it clear my daughters and granddaughters are still in a battle. To paraphrase Martin Luther King, “I have a dream where my children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged by the content of their character.”
Enjoy the weekend, Mike