December 11, 2017 LYING EYES

Euphemisms. They make everything sound so much better--ESPECIALLY IN POLITICS.  Take the simple word LIE. It's only a 3 letter word right?? Back in the day when someone lied we all yelled--LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE--and that was the end of it. Today,  in this world of Political Correctness--we can NO LONGER USE OUR OLD CHANT. So, If you're thinking of confronting a liar--I urge you to read this list and employ one of these phrases--Alternative Facts--Misspoke--Economical with the Truth--Factual Shortcuts--Factually Shaky--Twist the Truth--False Claims--Stretched Some Truths--Outright Distortion--Falsehoods--Misstatement--Telling Untruths--Misrepresentation--Fact Checkers--Malarkey--Balderdash--Undocumented Facts--Inconsistencies and Contradictions--Equivocating with the Truth--Straining Plausibility--Trifling with the Facts. Okay-- this is just a partial list but it's enough to get you started. CRAZY how ONE TINY word has evolved into such Jargon. That's probably why Trump still has supporters--THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL HE'S TALKING ABOUT!!

Since Christmas is right around the corner, I thought I'd review an interesting book I read a few years ago because I just realized it's been made into a movie and is playing in theaters right now.
Les Standiford wrote The Man Who Invented Christmas back in 2008.  It's partly a biography of Charles Dickens, focusing on  the events surrounding the publication of A Christmas Carol in 1843. It's also about the history of Christmas, how traditions have evolved and changed into the Christmas we all know today. In 1843, Dickens was in debt and needed to keep his family and creditors afloat. So, he wrote this slender novel to make a quick buck. After his publishers refused to publish it, Dickens published it himself. It caused quite a sensation reviving Dickens' career as well as the Christmas spirit in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. A Christmas Carol has been around for a 174 years and is still being published today. WOW. I'm a huge Dickens' fan and you will be one too if you pick up a copy of this book yourself and find out how Dickens saved Christmas. It's only about 200 pages or a 3 mile run that will get you into the holiday spirit.