Archive for November 2014

In praise of the radio -- and really listening

In praise of the radio -- and really listening
It’s Thanksgiving time here in Chicago, which means another tradition for hockey fans like me: The Blackhawks are playing their games in western North America. That means starting much later than the normal Chicago times — and, therefore, ending later. It’s a time when I value my lifelong habit of listening to games. If there was a... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
November 26, 2014 at 11:56 am
• 6 comments

Bad habits when an editor turns to writing

Bad habits when an editor turns to writing
When I saw the theme of the week for “This Blogger Life” — bad habits — I almost chickened out. What bad habits do I want to admit to publicly? What bad habits of mine do you want to read about? They might be the same things… but then again, that’s not likely. So I... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
November 19, 2014 at 2:11 pm
• 3 comments

Pursuing the meaning of trivia

Pursuing the meaning of trivia
News Item: Chicago Now’s Trivia Angels — Jack Silverstein, Alan Rubenstein, Kevin Kaufman, Erin Vandenberg, Jocelyn Geboy, Melanie Bowen, Howard Moore and Margaret Laing — won the Trivia Challenge tournament hosted by the Asian-American Journalists Association on Nov. 15 at Loyola University in Chicago. All of us were new to the game. Even before our... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
November 17, 2014 at 2:13 pm
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The proof is in the pudding? When?

The proof is in the pudding? When?
I’ve read recently several copies of an”old saying” that strikes me as senseless — “The proof is in the pudding.” It’s usually attached to plans and forecasts, so I guess I should not be surprised to see it now, at the change of seasons and just past a mid-term election. But besides being alliterative, what... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
November 10, 2014 at 3:00 pm
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Birds of a feather

Birds of a feather
Sometimes closely related material doesn’t wind up all that close together in reference books. I found a good example of that this week while browsing through Bartlett’s again. I looked up “birds of a feather” and found two citations in the index — one on page 107 and one on page 223. That happened because... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
November 8, 2014 at 1:00 pm
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The most important question in politics

Days like today, the days after Election Days, always take me back mentally to Valparaiso University and one of my favorite teachers, Dr. Richard Balkema. He taught political science. After an introductory course, I went back to him for one on state and local government. I had only lived in the suburbs then, but I... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
November 5, 2014 at 9:30 am
• 9 comments
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My character's moment of genius (but I listened)

Have you ever had a fictional character speak to you? Was it a character you’re inventing by yourself? That’s what happened to me on Sept. 27, so it was fresh in my mind when the theme of the week turned out to be “My Moment of Genius.” When I set out to write some new... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
November 4, 2014 at 1:00 pm
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Why wear poppies in November? 'In Flanders Fields'

Why wear poppies in November? 'In Flanders Fields'
There’s always a moment when I know it’s November. This year, it came while I watched the Hawks-Winnipeg Jets hockey game on TV on Sunday, Nov. 2. Behind the players’ benches, both coaches wore red poppies in the lapels of their suit coats. I haven’t found anyone selling poppies on the sidewalks of Chicago, as... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
November 3, 2014 at 4:15 am
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Another episode... or is it edition? Both!

Another episode... or is it edition? Both!
When I started wondering whether to call this another episode or edition of Words Worth Defending, I knew I had the words to include. So welcome to another episode (addition, entering beside; any part of the story, or a digression, complete in itself, of a serialized story; an incidental passage in a fugue) or edition... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
November 2, 2014 at 10:00 am
• 2 comments
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