A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg

Hibernian  (hy-BUR-nee-uhn)  adjective:  Of or relating to Ireland.  noun:  A native or inhabitant of Ireland.  From Hibernia, the Latin name for Ireland.  The word hibernate is from Latin hibernare (to spend the winter).  Earliest documented use:  1632.

histrionics  (his-tree-ON-iks)  noun:  1.  Melodramatic or hysterical behavior calculated for effect.  2. Theatrical performances.  From Latin histrio (actor).  Earliest documented use:  1824.
Mitty  (MIT-ee)  noun:  An ordinary, timid person who indulges in daydreams involving great adventures and triumphs.  After the title character in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, a short story (1939) by James Thurber, later made into a movie (1947) of the same name.

Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.  Edgar Allan Poe  (1809-1849)  Eleonora  http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/500.html

Eleonora, a short story by Poe  http://www.online-literature.com/poe/29/

OCTOBER 31

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the Federal Trade Commission reminds consumers that scams often follow disasters.  The nation’s consumer protection agency warns people about urgent appeals for charitable donations, and cautions residents in stricken areas about fraudulent home repair offers.  If you are asked to make a charitable donation to help people in disaster-affected areas, consider these tips to giving wisely:  

·         Donate to charities you know and trust.  Be alert for charities that seem to have sprung up overnight.

·         Ask if the caller is a paid fundraiser, who they work for, and what percentage of your donation goes to the charity and to the fundraiser.  If you don’t get a clear answer — or if you don’t like the answer you get — consider donating to a different organization.

·         Do not give out personal or financial information – including your credit card or bank account number – unless you know the charity is reputable.

·         Never send cash:  you can’t be sure the organization will receive your donation, and you won’t have a record for tax purposes.

·         Check out a charity before you donate.  Contact the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance at www.give.org.

Fraudsters target disaster-affected areas, hoping to cash in on property owners’ insurance settlements and financial relief from the federal government.  Home and business owners who need to hire a contractor should:  

·         Ask for copies of the contractor’s general liability and worker’s compensation insurance.

·         Check the contractor’s identification and references.

·         Avoid paying more than the minimum in advance.

·         Deal with reputable people in your community.

·         Call local law enforcement and the Better Business Bureau if you suspect a con.

·         For more information, see Disaster Recovery, Charity Fraud, Charity Checklist, and Charitable Donations: Give or Take?

To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC's online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).   http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/10/hurricane_sandy.shtm

OCTOBER 31

Voters in various states are receiving a voter audit from Americans for Limited Governement.  http://getliberty.org/  This lists your voting history (not always accurate) and those of your neighbors.  A different type of letter challenges the eligibility of people to vote.  The letter may purport to be from a supervisor of elections office.  Voters in Ohio may be challenged by an individual working with the Ohio Voter Integrity Project.

John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath was the first book in the Little Free Library.  The new library, which operates out of a standing wooden box in the front yard of Sylvania residents Stan and Marilyn Machosky, is offering area readers the chance to try something new.  The premise is simple: Passers-by can stop, take a book from the “library” box, and maybe even leave a book for someone else.  Located at 6108 Rockdale Lane, the miniature library was inspired by the couple’s daughter.  “My daughter lives in St. Paul, Minn., and there’s one in her neighborhood,” Mrs. Machosky said. “She sent me an article about it.”  The idea grew from there.  A former kindergarten and third-grade teacher, Mrs. Machosky is a librarian at Toledo’s Christ the King School.  “I just want everyone to know how important libraries are,” she said.  “There’s great stuff out there.”  Thanks, Mechelle.  http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2012/10/22/Sylvanian-opens-branch-in-a-box.html 

Bill Dees, a songwriter who collaborated with Roy Orbison on the enduring hit “Oh, Pretty Woman,” died on Oct. 24 in Mountain Home, Ark.  He was 73.  “Oh, Pretty Woman” transformed Mr. Dees’s life even before it was released, in August 1964. Dees had recently moved to Nashville with his wife and four young children with the goal of making a living in music.  He was working a day job at a warehouse and writing songs with Orbison in his spare time when inspiration arrived in the form of Orbison’s wife, Claudette.  She walked into a room where the men were working and asked Orbison for money to go shopping.  The couple talked warmly and kissed, and then Mrs. Orbison left.  A moment later, Mr. Dees said to Orbison, “Pretty woman don’t need no money.”  They laughed — and started writing.  Within minutes they had a song.  Mr. Dees said that Orbison told him soon after they wrote the song — with its relentless beat and its memorable opening lines, “Pretty woman, walkin’ down the street/Pretty woman, the kind I like to meet” — that he should quit his job, buy an electric piano and go on tour with him to Europe so they could keep working together.  Mr. Dees did just that.  Meanwhile, “Oh, Pretty Woman,” on which Mr. Dees sang harmony, was soaring up the charts on its way to becoming a No. 1 hit, and Orbison’s star was rising.  Mr. Dees wrote dozens of other songs with Orbison, including another hit, “It’s Over,” as well as songs for Loretta Lynn, Glen Campbell and others.  Over the last decade he also released solo albums.   http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/arts/bill-dees-73-orbison-collaborator-dies.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0