Monday, December 6, 2010

Quotes on truth; more palindromes

MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2010

QUOTE OF THE DAY

A truth that's told with bad intent
Beats all the lies you can invent.

- William Blake
From Auguries of Innocence
Today’s topic is truth. For your edification and enjoyment, I present to you some more quotations about truth.

Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.

- Abraham Lincoln
Letter to Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton. July 18, 1864

What is truth?

In Latin – Quid est veritas?
- Attributed to Pontius Pilate
John 18:38

The well of true wit is truth itself.
- George Meredith
From Diana of the Crossways [1885], chapter 1

Truth is a torch that gleams through the fog without dispelling it.
- Claude Adrien Helvetius
From De l’Esprit [1758], preface

In wine there is truth.

- Translation of the Latin phrase In vino veritas.

RIDDLE ME THIS

Why did the muffler break down?

ANSWER:

Because it was exhausted.


LANGUAGE CORNER

I enjoy palindromes – words, verses or numbers that read the same backward or forward. I wrote about palindromes in my November 13, 2010 blog entry. I included a list of palindromes in that entry. Today I offer some more palindromes to amuse you on a December day.

LIST OF PALINDROMES

Rise to vote, sir.

Poor Dan is in a droop.

A man, a plan, a canal: Panama.

Dennis and Edna sinned.

Are we not drawn onward to new era.

Anne, I vote more cars race Rome to Vienna.

A nut for a jar of tuna.

A Toyota.

Cain: A maniac

Panic in a Titanic? I nap.

Pets never even step.


ON THIS DAY

Today marks a sad anniversary for Canadians, especially women.  On December 6, 1989, a crazed misogynist named Marc Lepine stalked and killed 14 female engineering students at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal.  He entered a classroom, separated the men and women and shot the women with a semi-automatic rifle.  He blamed them for his failure to be accepted by the engineering school.

21 years have passed since that horrific day.  I will remember those 14 women and the tragic loss of their lives today and everyday.
















Hockey

Brian Burke, the General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, had some vindication on Saturday night. The Leafs edged the Boston Bruins 3-2 in an overtime shootout at the Air Canada Centre. Former Bruin Phil Kessel scored the winning goal in the shootout. Okay, Leaf fans, calm down! It’s only one game.

Basketball

The Toronto Raptors continue their losing ways. The Raps were trounced 116-99 by the New York Knicks today. This team is not looking good.

- Joanne