Events in the month of March for writers and readers:
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Compendious
Adjective
French, 14th century
Containing or presenting the essential facts of something in a comprehensive but concise way.
It stems from the Old French “compendieux,” from the Latin “compendiosus,” which means “advantageous, brief.”
Example: My compendious speech on the evolution of canines impressed my fellow Toastmasters.
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The skyline of Dallas, Texas was lit up recently in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Other cities around the U.S. and around the world have done the same in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, as they face a brutal onslaught from Russia.
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Ketanji Brown Jackson remarks on her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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“It is a Woodstock of the mentally impaired.”
Bill Maher, about some of the speakers at this year’s annual C-PAC convention, on “Real Time with Bill Maher”
Maher identified Glenn Beck, Ted Cruz, Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Lauren Boebert and Donald Trump, Jr.
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“NATO expansion, as bad as that is, it’s the EU later, trying to force into the Ukraine… that would be the equivalent … of China coming here and signing a defense pact with Mexico … right on our border and up against our grille.”
Steve Bannon, former advisor to Donald Trump, in a conversation with private military contractor Erik Prince on his War Room podcast
The two men suggested that Putin’s action in Ukraine was fully understandable, given that Ukraine has indicated it wishes to join NATO (a “deadbeats” organization, according to Bannon). It’s also worth noting that Prince, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, had once planned to create a private army in Ukraine.
“The contract also calls for abolishing the Department of Education, making English the official language of the United States, banning federal funding for critical race theory teachings, and enacting school choice on the federal level so federal dollars follow the students to their school of choice, including private religious schools.”
U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) in revealing his “New Contract with America” that’s designed to destroy Social Security and “incentivize” the elderly to return to work
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“There’s no Team America for Trump. Not once did I see him do anything to put America first. Not once. Not for a single second.”
Fiona Hill, former Senior Director for Europe and Russia at the United States National Security Council, about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis and her belief that former President Donald Trump exacerbated the tension
“All this did was say to Russia that Ukraine was a playground,” Hill added, noting Trump’s admiration for Putin and his disapproval of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). She also highlighted Trump’s longstanding pushback against Ukraine as he relentlessly tried to obtain incriminating information on President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. The controversy surrounding Ukraine was a major component of Trump’s first impeachment trial.
“[O]nly Donald Trump could stand in that way. Only Donald Trump and what he says and how he says it could prevent Republicans from winning the majority. If he makes this about November of 2020 or January of 2021, that could cost the Republicans the Senate.”
Frank Luntz, Republican pollster, stating the Republican Party could regain control of both houses of congress during this year’s midterm elections, if Donald Trump doesn’t interfere
Luntz also said, “If you look at the polling data, and you do the focus groups, you talk to independents as I have done. I find it difficult to see any other conclusion than Republicans winning control of the House and winning control of the Senate in November. Now a lot of stuff can change. And I know that we don’t know what’s going to happen in Ukraine. But Republicans should win both of those based on what’s happening right now and what we know is going to happen in the coming months.”
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The world’s sea creatures have enough to worry about with human overpopulation and the accompanying pollution. But, for a quarter century now, they’ve had to contend with a miniscule plague known as Legos.
On February 13, 1997, a rogue wave ambushed a cargo ship known as Tokio Express and caused millions of the demonic toy pieces to plunge into the water. Out of the 4,756,940 Lego pieces on board, about 3,178,807 were light enough to float and have been polluting beaches across the North Atlantic – mostly around Great Britain – ever since. Ironically many of the pieces were nautical-themed, but that’s of no comfort to aquatic wildlife that have occasionally ingested the items.
While people have been collecting many of the Legos that wash up onto shorelines, scientists have used the calamity to study the impact plastic has on the world’s oceans.
Plastic can take years – perhaps centuries – to degrade in water, and releases a variety of chemicals as it deteriorates; chemicals that can disrupt oceanic ecosystems by disrupting the reproductive systems of some animals.
A 2020 study by Environmental Pollution found that, upon analyzing the structure of Legos with X-ray fluorescence, it could take up to 1,300 years for all of the pieces to degrade completely.
If there’s any proof that human birth control on a wide scale is necessary, this is it!
Top image: A.J.B. Lane
Bottom image: BBC News
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