News Blog

http://www.foxnews.com/blogs/

Confusing Words

"I said vehemently, but they took it off." pg. 207 "Ten Days in a Mad House."

Definition of vehemently: fiercely; in an intense manner.

"So the face I was trying to find in Churchill Downs that weekend was a symbol, in my own mind, of the whole doomed atavistic culture that makes the Kentucky Derby what it is." pg. 214 "The Kentucky Derby is  Decadent and Depraved."

Definition of atavistic: The reappearance of characteristics in ancestors that appear over time.

Dr. Laura's "N" word

I was really upset to read that Dr. Laura quit her radio talk show. My mom and I would listen to her in the car all the time! And I must say, I've learned a lot from it. It's amazing to see how people are all so different. However, Dr. Laura should know that better than anyone. She should have been more careful with her choice of words because obviously her use of the "N" word would offend that caller since she was complaining about her husband's "insensitive race talk". I see where Dr. Laura is coming from, today the "N" word is being used so frequently that it might as well no longer be a taboo. But it must be kept in mind that when this word began, it was a racial slur that offended blacks very much. Although it may not mean the same thing today, she should have known a lot of people today would still be offended by the use of it.