Carpe Diem, cont.

What does every mother want to be but her children not to have?

(A) fit.

Why the Stock Market’s fate depends on whether the coronavirus recovery looks more like a “V” or an “L”  

Pick a letter.

Economists and investors are engaged in an alphabet-centered debate over the likely shape of the recovery from the recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  In other words, when plotted on a graph, will gross domestic product look like the letter ‘V’, the best case scenario; or more like a ‘W’ (double-dip recession); a ‘U’, signaling a slow recovery; or, more worrying still, an ‘L’, or even an ‘I’— . . . ?  Article from MarketWatch, Wednesday 6 May 2020, by William Watts

Encyclopædia Britannica, Supplement to the 4th, 5th, 6th editions, by James Mill (father of John Stuart Mill), selection:

The end of education is to render the individual, as much as possible, an instrument of happiness, first to himself, and next to other human beings.

The properties, by which he is fitted to become an instrument to this end, are, partly, those of the body, and, partly, those of the mind. . . . 

Education, in the sense in which it is usually taken, and in which it shall here be used, denotes the means which may be employed to render the mind, as far as possible, an operative cause of happiness. . . . 

Poverty with security is better than plenty in the midst of fear and uncertainty.  Milo Winter

Poverty in safety is better than riches in peril.  J. Pinkney

The country is better than the city.  (6)

Don’t be too fancy.  (8)

A simple life of security is better than a fancy life of danger.  (12)

’Tis a gift to be simple.  (15)

“Let’s go to Luckenbach, Texas with Waylon and Willie and the boys.”  (40s, while stuck in Denver metro traffic)

The moral: Waylon and Willie can say (sing) it better than we can.

https://youtu.be/3EKHUA1aBLA

Read the quotations on the subject of education below.  Although the young George Washington did not receive as strong an academic education as many of his fellow colonists did, in what areas was his education far superior and more challenging?

J j:  Compared to I, we have a much easier job with J.  The letter J makes one sound: /j/.  That’s right, just /j/.  We need no judge and no jury.  J will never go to jail in a just (or mostly just) world.  Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, J is doing his one job: /j/. We must recall, though, that not every time we hear the sound /j/ the letter J is making it.  At the beginning of words, J has more of a presence.  In the middle and ending of words, we do find J as well, especially when putting on our pajamas at night or singing Mr. Bojangles or committing perjury (no, I hope not) or hijacking our brother’s favorite toy car.  Yet more often in the middle of words and almost always at the end (followed by an E) it will be G making the /j/ sound.  Perhaps J just figures he can bring more joy to the world by being at the beginning of words instead of being caught up in the middle.  In that sense, he is more of a start-up letter.  (A teacher or parent can explain that to you.)

We should also remember that J serves at the beginning of quite a few names: Jennifer and Jane and Julia and JoAnne and Janet and Jaqueline and many others on the girls’ side, as well as John and James (sometimes Jimmy) and Jake and Jerod and Jed for the boys, with Jamie working for both.  Three months begin with J, more than any other letter.  Nor can we forget that Jesus begins with J.  

Every letter seems to throw us a curve ball, J being no exception.  When coming from another language, J sometimes says /h/.  Think spicy.  Jalapeño.  (Or junta.)  J has a /zh/ sound when coming from French.  In a fancy restaurant, we would order the soup du jour (də zhoor).  And then there is Camp Lejeune.  The J is pronounced /zh/.  That’s the easy part.  The whole is pronounced /ləzhern/ (with an R).  Get it right, Marine.  Semper Fi. 

(Blast from the Past) “Choosy mothers choose ___.”

Jif.

"The Federal Reserve is acting aggressively . . ." Neel Kashkari, Fed. Res. of Minneapolis

What does "aggressively" mean in this context?  Good or bad?

Education, Quotations from the OED:

“It much concerneth every parent to see their children to have the best education and instruction.”  Brinsley, 1616.

“A complete and generous education . . . fits a man to perform . . . all the offices of peace and war.”  John Milton, 1644.

“As early as the ninth century, hunting constituted an essential part of the education of a young nobleman.”  Strutt, 1802.

“Education gives fecundity of thought . . . quickness, vigour, fancy, words, images and illustrations.”  Sydney Smith, 1809.

“Hours of relaxation truly [are] as necessary a part of education as hours of study.”

Sir B. Brodie, 1862.

“Among the foremost benefits of free government is that education of the intelligence and of the sentiments.”  John Stuart Mill, 1860.

“Education is the formation of the whole man—intellect, … character, mind, and soul.”

H. F. Manning, 1875

F f: /f/

G g: /g/, /j/ 

H h: /h/

I i: /ĭ/, /ī/, /ē/

J j: /j/

He is ill cloth’d, who is bare of Virtue.

In foreign countries, people have polite expressions they say before starting the meal.  Here are three of them, in French, Spanish, and German.

Français: Bon Appétit (literally, “good appetite”)

Español: ¡buen provecho!  (literally, “good profit” or “good benefit” but in this context understood as Bon Appétit)

Deutsch: Mahlzeit!  (literally “mealtime”; a shorter version of “gesegnete Mahlzeit,” meaning “blessed mealtime”)

Do Americans really have a polite phrase used just before the meal?  Waiters and waitresses are taught to say “Enjoy!” after they have brought out the meal.  I do not think most Americans use a standard phrase.  In my family growing up, we said a blessing, followed by “Dig in!

Speaking of manners at the dinner table, George Washington as a child or young man (probably around age twelve) copied down a list of rules called "The Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation."  The purpose of this long list of 110 rules, which dates back to the Renaissance, was to teach polite manners at the same time children practiced their handwriting.  Some of these "rules" may seem humorous today in the way they are written and the topics they address.  Yet parents still often tell children in one way or another to practice these habits.  We shall include a few.  George Washington was known throughout his life for his gentle manners.

Put not another bite into your mouth till the former be swallowed; let not your morsels be too big.

We cannot resist.  At the end of the week, you should enjoy this "classic."

 https://youtu.be/5IpYOF4Hi6Q

"Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them.  And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.  So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. . . ."  Genesis 3:19-20

This is a very lovely, peaceful version of "Amazing Grace." 

https://youtu.be/NG0vH4WYChQ

K k: The letter K, acting alone, makes one sound: /k/.  Say it again, /k/.  The letter K rules in king and flies high as a kite.  He comes in handy in a first-aid kit.  Those K’s coming before the three sounds of I (in reverse order) remind us of something.  We should recall that there is another letter making the /k/ sound, and that is C.  But C does not say /k/ in front of E, I, or Y.  So if you want to kick up your heels with a kettle of fish and a keg of . . . of Coke (yes, with a K for the second sound of /k/); or if you find yourself in Scotland, looking for a church and cannot find one (they call it a kirk); or if somebody tells you, “Oh, go fly a kite,” and you think, “that’s a great idea”; or if you are hungry and need a little snack from the kitchen; or if you are getting married, and the preacher says, “You may kiss the bride”; or if you just want to be a regular kid: then you need K.  

      Kick suggests another way of arriving at /k/, but we shall kick that can down the road for a while, until we meet our letter teams.  Just know that if you hear /k/ at the end of a word, it is often not K acting alone (especially if the /k/ is right after a vowel sound).  K also has a knack for being silent when in a letter team coming at the beginning of a word.  Let’s just say that even if K is at your door, he won’t be the one doing the knocking.  For now, let’s let K be /k/.

     From the letters we have looked at so far, the best word to illustrate K is kid: /k/; /ĭ/, first sound of I; /d/: kid.

I would never tease a child.  No, never.  But . . . I might ___ a ___.

. . . kid a kid.

The Economic Lockdown Catastrophe, WSJ editorial headline, 9-10 May 2020

   (Catastrophe and economic[s]: not words you want to see in the same sentence.)

Science 

Dictionary Definitions:

n. 1a. The observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena. b. Such activities restricted to a class of natural phenomena. c. Such activities applied to an object of inquiry or study.  2. Methodological activity, discipline, or science: I’ve got packing a suitcase down to a science.  3. An activity that appears to require study and method: the science of purchasing.  4. Knowledge, especially that gained through experience.  The American Heritage Dict.

Milo Winter online at Gutenberg, p. 15. 

The crux:  A group of mice living in a particular house are constantly threatened by a cat.  It becomes harder to get food and roam about since the cat seems to be everywhere and is very quiet and sneaky.  So the mice hold a council (a formal discussion) about what to do.  A young mouse offers what appears to be the perfect solution.  The cat needs to have a bell around his neck so the mice could always hear him coming and know where he is.  The mice think that is a great idea and applaud the young mouse.  That is, it seems like a great idea until an old, wise mouse stands up and asks just one question.  “Who will bell (put a bell around the neck of) the cat?”  We gather that all the mice’s hopes are dashed.

L l:  The letter L makes one sound: /l/.  It is the only letter that makes that sound.  Say it: /l/.  If you want to love somebody, or even to like, you will need L.  If you want to have any luck in life, look to L.  If you intend to follow the law, you need L.  If you do not intend to follow the law (and that is a bad idea), that would make you lawless—and you would need two Ls.  If you are a lad or a lass, you lean on L.  If there is to be any light in the room, whether from a lantern or a lamp, well, light up L.  If you are going to learn your letters, what letter do long to have?  Oh, L! 

     One slightly tricky thing about L is that sometimes he brings his twin and doubles up in the middle or at the end of words, as do many other letters.  If you want to climb a hill, like Jack and Jill, or play some ball or make a call, you need more than one, so L brings his twin along.  We should also point out that L (and his twin) are very tall letters.  One other slightly tricky thing about L is that sometimes he is hard or harder to hear, than the other letters, especially when he is calm or playing golf or taking a walk (i.e. wedged between a vowel and another consonant).  And when we only want halfof something, we lose the sound of L altogether.  Strangely, L is just not a very loud letter.

     From the letters we have learned so far, we could use L in the “CVC” words lab, lad, lag, led, leg, lid.  The words gal and gel have a single L at the end, but most other words require two Ls at the end, as in these words: ball, call, fall, gall, cell, dell, fell, bill, dill, fill, gill, hill, etc. 

What do swimmers and runners do that make them swimmers and runners?

Laps.

Hopes for Speedy Rebound Dim, WSJ, headline, 12 May 2020

Hopes (yes), Speedy (yes), Rebound (yeah!), Dim (ugh!)

science

n. 1a. possession of knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding: knowledge as a personal attribute . . . b. knowledge possessed or attained through study or practice . . . 2.a. a branch or department of systematized knowledge that is or can be made a specific object of study . . . b. something (as a sport or technique) that may be studied or learned like systematized knowledge . . . c. studies mainly in the works of ancient and modern philosophers formerly taught as a group or field of specialization . . . d. any of the individual subjects taught at an educational institution in one of the departments of natural science . . . 3.a. accumulated and accepted knowledge that has been systematized and formulated with reference to the discovery of general truths or the operation of general laws: knowledge classified and made available in work, life, and the search for truth: comprehensive, profound, or philosophical knowledge, esp. knowledge obtained and tested through use of the scientific method  b. such knowledge concerned with the physical world and its phenomena: natural science.  [three further sections] 

Webster’s Third New International Dictionary 

Morals:

From fable editions:

It is one thing to say something should be done, but quite a different matter to do it.  M. Winter

Brave words are easier than brave deeds.  J. Pinkney

Some ideas that seem fine at first aren’t really so good when we think them over.  M. Leaf

Don’t expect others to do what you are afraid to do yourself.  Val Biro

From students, teachers::

Be twenty before you speak.  (6 yrs. old)

The only way to get a bell on a cat is be brave and tough.  (8)

If you have an idea, think about it first.  (9)

Easier said than done.  (12)

It is one thing to recognize a problem.  It is another to solve it.  (15)

Great ideas require courage to see them through.  (40s)

The hero: he for whom the deed matches the word.  (50s)

A "George Washington mouse" would have belled the cat.  (See below,)

Between the idea and the reality . . . 

Falls the shadow . . .

T. S. Eliot

M m: The letter M is a consonant with one sound: /m/.  Say it: /m/.  We do not need to say much in order to map out how M works in words, as the sound is straightforward.  M comes as one letter at the beginning and ending of words (though occasionally doubled at the end of proper names) but sometimes doubles up in the middle of words when not acting with another consonant, as in mammal or hammer.  More than any other, our most favorite word to use M in is Mom.   

     An interesting thing about M is that the sound /m/ often acts on its own, apart from formal words.  We sometimes say “mmm . . . mmm” for “yes,” which is not the politest way to respond to a question unless our mouths are full or if the dentist asks us something while working on our teeth.  Or we say “mmm . . . mmm” when something tastes good, which is acceptable if we are eating.  We also say “mmm” when mulling over a question, struck by how interesting something is, or just have something on our minds.  And we may unconsciously find ourselves humming a tune without really thinking about it.  

     M also often stands alone as an abbreviation.  We may find M on the door of a men’s room (opposite an upside-down M on the door of the Women’s room, which can confuse kids).  We find M as many abbreviations: as medium for clothing sizes; for either miles or meters when measuring distance; and, on many forms we have to fill out, M acting as male, month, or married.  Mmm . . . rather than filling out forms, I’d rather go back to eating M&M’s and saying “mmm . . . mmm.”  Wouldn’t you?  Go ahead, say it. (m . . .) 

You have ___ this word before, many, many times.

Met.

"Dow Stumbles 250 Points . . ."  MarketWatch, 13 May

(We do not want stocks to stumble, but a stumble is better than a fall.)

"Dow Falls 500 Points . . . " MarketWatch (later that day)  Uh-oh.

Science

From the Latin scientia: a knowing, knowledge, intelligence, science.

scientia from sciō, scire: to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of, be skilled in.

Milo Winter @ Gutenberg.org, p. 20

The Crux:  A fox is walking down a forest trail in spring.  He gets a whiff of grapes becoming ripe and hanging from a tree.  Naturally, he wants to eat the grapes.  He says, "Mmm."  The fox jumps up but comes nowhere near reaching them.  He tries several times to no avail.  Finally, he leaves, but not without saying the grapes are not any good anyway.  They are “sour.”  (This is where the phrase "sour grapes" comes from, referring to the attitude of the fox, not the grapes.)

N n: The letter N is a consonant with one sound: /n/.  It is the only single letter that makes that sound, but N teams up with a couple of other letters sometimes to say /n/, as we shall know soon enough (if we do not already).  N is also doubled in the middle of words, often to give the preceding vowel a “short” sound, as in banner, kennel, winner, bonnet, and runner.  It is also common to find the N doubled in the middle of proper names, such as Hannah, Johnny, Conner, Bennet, O’Donnell, Jennifer, et alia.

     N might also be thought of as the alter-ego of his next-door neighbor, M.  Just as M is the humming sound for “yes,” N is the nasal sound for “no.”  "Nnn, nnn” means “No,” “No way,” and the less polite “nuh-uh.”  Similarly, N appears on paper forms to mean “No.”  Most of the “no” words or syllables in the English language begin with N: no, not, nay, non-, naught, nothing, negative, nix, never, and, if that were not enough, en Español, no y nada; en Français, non et n’est pas; auf Deutsch, nein und nichts; and in Latin, nullus et nihil.  For the letter N, the Nays have it!

     That is not to say that N cannot be positive—with a nod.  And N can even be nice by having manners in saying “No” with a “thank you” or “ma’am” or “sir” after it.

What does every early elementary student need after a full day of school?  (And sometimes the teacher, too.)

A nap.

“Dow Industrials Skid 400 Points . . .” MarketWatch, 14 May

“Dow Attempts Major Comeback . . .”

“The Dow is staging a nearly 800-point U-Turn . . .”

“Dow marks sharpest . . . comeback in 2 months, partly powered by

     a rally in battered banks.”  (Wow!  It sounds like a boxing match.) 

SCIENCE, in philosophy, denotes any doctrine, deduced from self-evident principles, by a regular demonstration.  (That’s it!)

    From Encyclopædia Britannica; or a DICTIONARY of ARTS and SCIENCES, COMPILED UPON A NEW PLAN.  IN WHICH The different SCIENCES and ARTS are digested into distinct Treatises or Systems; AND The various TECHNICAL TERMS, &c. are explained as they occur in the order of the Alphabet.  ILLUSTRATED WITH ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY COPPERPLATES.  

By a Society of GENTLEMEN in SCOTLAND.  IN THREE VOLUMES. 

(Edinburgh: M.DCC.LXXI).

     That is the whole title for the first Encyclopædia Britannica.  Notice the use of the term science twice.  Yet look at the length of the minimal entry for the term itself in the Encyclopædia.  Oh, well.  You have to start somewhere.  (Like this website!). 

Morals from different editions:

It is easy to scorn what you cannot reach.  J. Pinkney

There are many who pretend to despise and belittle that which is beyond their reach. M. Winter

In the same way some men, when they fail through their own incapacity, blame circumstances.  S.A. Handford

The fox didn’t want the grapes because he couldn’t get them.  You don’t fool anybody by making fun of things you just aren’t able to get for yourself.  M. Leaf

Morals from students and teachers:

You don’t always get what you want.  (6 yrs. old)

If you’re a fox, don’t jump for grapes.  (6)

Get a ladder.  (8)

Try, try, try again.  (8)

You’re the sour one, mister.  (8)

Do not assume people to be sour when you’re sour yourself.  (9)

Don’t scorn what you cannot achieve.  (12)

Envy is a sin of the lazy.  (40s)

The small soul disparages what it cannot attain.  (40s)

Pride urges us to belittle what we cannot have.  (40s)

It’s easier to blame your missed goal than your failure to reach it.  (40s)

The Other Classics:

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” The Rolling Stones.

O o: The letter O is a vowel that has not one, not two, not three, but at least four—and I would argue five—sounds: more than any other letter.  These sounds are /ŏ/, /ō/, /o͞o/, /aw/, and /ŭ/. We hear these sounds in words such as on, code, do, off, and son.  Like other vowels, O often teams up with other letters to make its various sounds, but we will float that moat another afternoon.

     There is no perfect pattern for when O says which sound, but some general guidelines apply.  At the beginning of words, when O teams up with another letter in the syllable, he often makes the sounds /ŏ/ or /aw/.  Think on and off.  

     At the end of words, O often says his name: potato (or pah-tah-to), tomato (or tah-mah-to), banjo (there is no bahn-jo).  Particularly in shorter words, though, O can make the /o͞o/ sound: do, to, who.  And yet no and so go back to /ō/.  (I am tempted to say yo.)

     When O is the lone letter in the syllable, or in open syllables where O is the last letter, O often says his name.  Open the donuts.  Yet that is not always the case.  Open the donuts (box) today.  In today, O makes the /o͞o/ sound.  (It is really amazing!  Tonight we will watch a movie about it!)  

     As with the other vowels, O usually says his short sound in a closed syllable (wedged between two consonants).  This happens in cot and robot (with O saying his name in the first syllable) and model.  Yet O can also say /aw/ when between two syllables, especially when another consonant is added (usually after an F or L or S): as in loft, scoff, doll, golf, boss, cost, lost.  Yet this is not a hard-and-fast rule since we also find O saying his name between two consonants, with no silent-E in sight, as in post, most, poll, roll, bolt, colt.

     Certainly, O says his name on many occasions when prompted by a Silent-E, whether tacked on after a consonant or standing next to O himself, as in doe, foe, hoe, role, code, abode (where you live), home (also where you live), pole, and so on.  But O does not always say his name when joined by a silent-E.  Consider the words some, come, none, and every romantic’s favorite word, love.  

     In these words, O is making a fifth sound, /ŭ/, which most phonics programs and even phonics teachers do not recognize.  But it exists.  We find the /ŭ/ sound in words without the help of Silent E.  Consider (I say again, consider) the words ton, son, comfort, mother.  How would you tell your mother that you love her without the fifth sound of O?  Still don’t believe me?  Should I sing “If You’ve Got the Money, Honey” or “When Doves Cry” or “Pretty Woman”? I’ll give you one—I say again, one—more chance to concede.  After that, we’ll make a bet.  And once you lose your bet, you will wonder what has become of all your money (honey) when you have . . . nothing! 

    One more observation of O: Somewhere in the Twilight Zone between A and I on the one hand—letters that are also words—and M and N on the other—letters that almost act as words—stands O: alone.  O is not quite an independent word with its own definition.  O is what we call an interjection.  We use O when we are surprised, or act that way.  “O, really?  I didn’t turn in my homework?”  We say O when we are upset.  “O, no!”  We exclaim O when we are surprised in a good way.  “O! Boy!  I won tickets to the ball game.”  We might say the same thing with a different tone when we are not so happy.  “O! Boy!  I have to rake up all the leaves in the back yard.”  And sometimes we employ O as a sign of praise: “O! Say can you see . . .”  “O Heavenly Father!”

     So, what will we do when it comes to holding on to O?  O! Boy! (in both the good way and the uh-oh way).  Don’t over-worry about O.  Someday, this will be “old hat.”   

K: /k/

L: /l/

M: /m/ 

N: /n/

O: /ŏ/, /ō/, /o͞o/, /aw/, and /ŭ/. 

What every young person wants to have, most adults have to have, and older people are glad not 

     to have.  (Hint: word uses first sound of O).

A job.

"Retail sales crater . . . as spending slumps . . ."  MarketWatch 15 May 2020

Definitions and Quotations from the Oxford English Dictionary:

science

1.  The state or fact of knowing; knowledge or cognizance of something . . . 

Thomas More: Whereof Saynte Paul cryeth himself: O altitudo diuitarum sapientie et scientie dei.  O the heyght and depenes of the ryches of the wysedome and scyence of god. 1532

Milton: O Sacred, Wise, and Wisdom-giving Plant, Mother of Science, Paradise Lost, 1667.

Samuel Johnson: Life is not the object of Science: we see a little, very little; and what is beyond, we can only conjecture.  Adventurer, no. 107, 1753. 

2.a.  Knowledge acquired by study; acquaintance with or mastery of any department of learning.

North: The auncient women were more esteamed for their sciences than for their beauties. 1557

William Cowper, “Conversation,” lines 11-14

As alphabets in ivory employ, 

Hour after hour, the yet unletter’d boy,

Sorting and puzzling with a deal of glee

Those seeds of science called his ABC. 

See also William Cowper, “On Conversation,” Connoisseur, no. 138.

2.b.  Trained skill, esp. now (somewhat jocularly) with reference to pugilism [boxing]; also to horsemanship and other bodily exercises.

3.  A particular branch of knowledge or study; a recognized department of learning.

1596 Shakespeare, Taming of the Shrew: “I do present you with a man of mine, Cunning in Musicke, and the Mathematicks, To instruct her fully in those Sciences.”

1794 Godwin, Caleb Williams: “I was taught the rudiments of no science, except reading, writing, and arithmetic.”

1810 Sydney Smith, Public Schools: “His sister, who has remained at home, at the apron-strings of her mother, is very much his superior in the science of manners.”

1892 Wescott, Gospel of Life: “Theology is the crown of all the sciences, and religion the synthesis of all.” 

4. In a more restricted sense: A branch of study which is concerned either with a connected body of demonstrated truths or with observed facts systematically classified and more or less colligated by being brought under general laws, and which includes trustworthy methods for the discovery of new truth within its domain.

[Note (reworded): the many “conflicting systems” using the term science(s) have caused those using the word to qualify it with an adjective, such as abstract, concrete, biological, historical, mathematical, natural, physical, etc.]  That is, science can be a confusing word with a wide range of meanings, so we often have to qualify or narrow it down with an adjective.

5. a. (Much like meaning 3)

5.b.  In modern use, often treated as synonymous with “Natural and Physical Science”, and thus restricted to those branches of study that relate to the phenomena of the material universe and their laws, sometimes with implied exclusion of pure mathematics.  

1895 Education Review: “Science-teaching is nothing, unless, it brings the pupil in contact with nature.”

5.c. Oxford University.  Formerly applied to the portions of ancient and modern philosophy, logic, and cognate subjects included in the course of study for a degree in the school of Litteræ Humanitores. obs.

6.a.  Man of science.  A man who possesses knowledge in any department of learning, or trained skill in any art or craft. obs.  b. In modern use a man who has expert knowledge of some branch of science (usually of physical or natural science) and devotes himself to its investigation. 

"The rapid Progress true Science now makes, occasions my regretting sometimes that I was born so soon.  It is impossible to imagine the Height to which may be carried, in a thousand years, the Power of Man over Matter."  (letter to Joseph Priestley, 8 February 1780)

Rules of Civility: 

Number 1: Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are

                  present.

Clearly, greeting people when you first see them on an occasion, and saying a kind word as they leave you, is one of the cornerstones of good manners.  Doing so acknowledges their presence and their importance to you.  Saying “hello” in passing, even to people you do not know, is likewise a sign of recognizing their fellow humanity and hope for their well-being, as if to say, “Glad to be in your presence, even for a moment.  I hope all is well.”

     The most common and accepted way to greet someone in America is with “Hello,” often shortened to Hi or the even less formal, Hey.  When we used to have real phones in our homes, that was the most common way to answer: “Hello.”  As a child, I was taught to say, “Hello.  This is the Moore residence.  May I ask who’s calling?”  (Then I would shout out, “Hey, Mom!  It’s Mrs. Smith!  Are you busy or not?”)  Greetings are also often geared to the time of day: Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Good Evening.  Good Night is practically the only thing we say when it is time to go to bed, or some version such as “Night, night” when speaking to children.  The good that precedes the time of day shows that we want the other person to have not just a morning, but a good morning.  It is both a wish and a signal of hope.

    Good is also joined with the word bye when we are leaving someone’s presence—as Good-bye—though we often shorten it to just Bye.  Some people say Bye-bye.  

 There are, of course, regional variations and other preferences.  Folks from Texas and other parts of the South and West traditionally say “Howdy” (sometimes pronounced “Hidee”).  Interestingly, Howdy is closer to the mark for what a greeting is supposed to be than Hello.  Whereas Hello does not have a clear etymology (word history), Howdy comes from “How do?” (which some older folks still say).  And “How do?” is a briefer take on “How do you do?” (as in Shel Silverstein/Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue”).    

     When taking leave, folks from Texas say, “Bye now” or “See y’all (later).”  In the Southern climes it is often, “Bless.” When I was growing up, my father always said, “Y’all be good,” sometimes joined with “d’y’hear?”.  I never thought much of that phrase until I started dating in high school.  After hearing it from more than one young lady’s father, I thought, “This might be a directive—or a warning.”  

     Texans sometimes say “Adiós,” though they string out the pronunciation more than a native Spanish speaker would: as “Ahh-dee-ōs” rather than a quick “Ah-dyōs.”  That’s what I’ve always said for "good-bye."  “So long” is fairly universal (I think).  

     In the military, polite greetings are formalized.  In passing, an enlisted soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine must salute an officer, or a junior officer his superior, and say, “Good Morning, Sir” or “Good Afternoon, Sir.”  The senior must return the salute and reply to the effect of, “Good Morning, Corporal,” (using the appropriate rank).  It is actually very cordial, and the higher-ranking officer will often add words of motivation such as, “Ooorah, Marine!” 

      On the surface, the polar opposite of the armed services appears to be modern culture, even in business.  For decades, younger people (often trying to appear “cool” or “street”) have gone through a series of intentionally short, informal greetings, such as, “hey,” “yo,” “what’s up?” “what up?” “wassup?” etc.  What is interesting about this carefully scripted nonchalance, though, is that it is considered highly offensive to dis (short for disrespect) another by not offering a greeting in passing.  The language is different, the sentiment largely the same.  

“Across the Pond” (British): Good Day, Mate?  

 Interestingly enough, it appears the British, who have an historical reputation for refined manners, are struggling to know how to greet each other since the formal “How do you do?” seems too stuffy or cumbersome these days.  Alright, mate.  We shall leave them to stew in their own juice.  Cheers.

Français: Hello, Good morning, or Good afternoon is expressed as Bonjour (meaning “good day”).  Bonsoir is Good evening.  Salut!, the French version of “Hi,” derives from salutations (a word in French as well as English.  See salvē below.).  Good-bye = Au revoir! (meaning, ’til we meet again, literally re-see).  Bon nuit! = Good night (going to bed).  Adieu is a perhaps more formal “farewell” or expecting we will not see the person as soon as suggested in Au revoir.  (See Adíos below.)

Español: Hola! = Hello. Buenos días = Good morning.  Buenos tardes = Good afternoon (or early evening until sunset).  Buenos noches = Good night.  Hasta la vista = good-bye or see you later (literally, until the (next) view).  This phrase was made popular by the line in Terminator II, “Hasta la vista, baby.”  “Hasta luego” = until later.  Adiós is often used as Good-bye.  Originally the word, like the French Adieu, meant “to God” (Díos and Dieu mean God) as in wishing others a final farewell and their being received by God.

Deutsch: Guten Morgen! = Good morning.  Guten Tag! = Good day (and is used as the equivalent of our Hello, though they also say Hallo!)  Guten Abend! = Good evening.  Gute Nacht! = Good night.  Auf Wiedersehen! (literally on seeing again) is the more formal way to say “good-bye.”  Tschüss! (pronounced chuice) is a less formal way, and there is some regional variation in Deutschland. 

Latin.  salvē, salvēte (pronounced /sahl wā/, /sahl wātā/) is the direct command of the verb salveō, salvēre which means to be well or in good health.  When used as a command (in the imperative), it was the Roman equivalent of greeting!, hail!, good day!, farewell!  salvē would refer to one person, salvēte to more than one.  (Latin is confusing because it is an inflected language; i.e. changes in tense, number, gender, and grammatical usage in a sentence are shown by different endings, so word endings are always changing.)  From salvē, we get salutations, salute, salutary.  

valē, valēte (pronounced /wah lā/, /wah lātā/) is the direct command of the verb valeō, valēre which means to be strong; to be well or in health; to be powerful, weighty, or have influence.  It was used as the good-bye or farewell greeting more often than salvē and still carried the connotation of “be strong.”

Click here to see the best lesson in farewells—ever!

https://youtu.be/Qy9_lfjQopU

Sayonara.

P p: The letter P is a consonant making one sound: /p/.  P is the only letter that makes that sound.  P appears alone at the beginning of words and usually at the end of words (except proper names, e.g., George Gipp).  The letter P often doubles up in the middle of words, normally to ensure the vowel that precedes it has a short sound, as in happen, pepper, zipper, hopper, supper.  Whereas one P in the middle of a word often signals a long vowel preceding it: paper, vapor, viper, roper, super (albeit not always, as in vapid, leper, tepid).  Think of this as the super supper rule.  P also teams up with another letter to make a sound that ordinarily belongs to a single letter.  And P occasionally goes silent at the beginning of a word, deferring to the sound of a particular letter following it.  But we shall phase in that phenomenon and probe more into the psyche of P later on.  For the present, know that P says /p/.  That will put the pep in the step of P. 

What did the hipster frog call his home?

His pad.

“Stocks Advance as the Fed Offers Hope,” MarketWatch quoting Barron’s, 18 May

Dictionary Definition One:

n. 1.a. Moral excellence and righteousness; goodness.  b. An example or kind of moral excellence: the virtue of patience.  2. Chastity, especially in a woman.  3. A particularly efficacious, good, or beneficial quality; advantage: a plan with the virtue of being practical.  4. Effective force or power: believed in the virtue of prayer.  5. virtues Christianity The fifth of the nine orders of angels in medieval angelology.  6. Obsolete Manly courage; valor.  —idiom: by (or in) virtue of On the grounds or basis of; by reason of: well-off by virtue of a large inheritance.  

The American Heritage Dictionary

Milo Winter at Gutenberg.org: p. 79

   The crux: A donkey works on his owner’s farm.  The work is hard.  The farmer needs the donkey to plow his field; and he does so all day long in the hot sun.  Without the donkey, the farmer could not plant his crops—and thus would not be a farmer at all!  (That is the donkey’s point of view.  He does not think so much of the warm barn and regular feeding he gets.)  

   Yet it is the farmer’s pet, a dog, who gets the special treatment.  The dog lives in the house, gets treats to eat, is petted, chases squirrels, but only when he wants to, and often sits in the lap of the farmer.  But he does no work—unless you call barking at small animals and visitors work.  How is that fair?  Finally, the donkey decides to take matters into his own hands (or hooves).  

   He bursts into the home of the farmer, wags his tail like a dog, and tries to sit in the farmer’s lap.  In so doing, he upsets the dinner table, breaks dishes, knocks over chairs, and causes all sorts of mayhem.  The surprised farmer kicks the donkey out of the house, calling him several names (you can imagine one) and (depending on the version) punishes the donkey in one way or another.  

William Cowper, “Conversation,” lines 11-14

As alphabets in ivory employ, 

Hour after hour, the yet unletter’d boy,

Sorting and puzzling with a deal of glee

Those seeds of science called his ABC. 

Q q: Before we can reveal the sound of Q, we must say something about letters.  The letters we have met so far all make a particular sound or sounds.  As we learned, A has four sounds, B has one, C has two, and so on.  Some sounds, however, require more than one letter.  These are the letter teams to which we have been referring.  The sound /th/, for example, is made by the T and H coming together.  (There are actually two ways to make the sound.)  The sound /ch/ is made almost always by the C and H coming together.  Yet T and H and C all make sounds on their own.  What is odd (or quirky) about Q is that it cannot make a sound on its own except in a very few cases.  Instead, it needs the letter U following it.  Q, followed by U (qu), makes the sound /kw/.  Say it: /kw/.  A way of remembering this is by saying “Q without U doesn’t know what to do.”  

    English did not come up with this quaint pattern.  The Q-U duo goes all the way back to Roman times.  Latin joined the Q and U.  Think of the phrase quid pro quo, which we still using in English as a legal term meaning “this for that.”  (Teachers and parents, feel free to use this phrase so that children earn their recess or a dessert by being . . . quiet.)  Romance languages (those growing out of Latin) such as Spanish and French, inherited the QU team.  But they pronounce QU as /k/.  In the Spanish phrase qué pasa?—meaning “what’s going on?” we hear the /k/ sound.  Ditto for the French Qu’est-ce que c’est? (pronounced /kes-kə-say/), meaning “what is it?”  English, however, keeps the original /kw/ sound.   

    The bottom line: Q, followed by U, says /kw/.

Don’t _____ in your boots, cowboy, even if the earth does shake a little out here in Californ-I-A.

Quake.

“The stakes of getting it wrong is that someone dies”: How coronavirus will transform K-12   

     schools in the fall MarketWatch editorial, Meera Jagannathan, 19 May

Let Children Go to Summer School WSJ editorial, Dr. Robert C. Hamilton, 19 May

virtue

n. 1.  moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.  2. conformity of one’s life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness; rectitude.  3. chastity; virginity: to lose one’s virtue.  

4. a particular moral excellence.  Cf. cardinal virtues, natural virtue, theological virtue.  5. a good or admirable quality or property: the virtue of knowing one’s weaknesses.  6. effective force, power, or potency: a charm with the virtue of removing warts.  7. virtues, an order of angels. . . . 8. manly excellence, valor.  9. by or in virtue of, by reason of; because of . . .  10. make of virtue of necessity, to make the best of a difficult or unsatisfactory situation.  

Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary

Editors:

Don’t pretend to be something you aren’t.  Val Biro

We aren’t all liked for the same reasons.  M. Leaf

What’s right for one may be wrong for another.  J. Pinkney

Behavior that is regarded as agreeable in one is very rude and impertinent in another.

Do not try to gain favor by acting in a way that is contrary to your own nature and character.  

M. Winter

Students and Teachers: 

If you’re a donkey, play outside.  (6 yrs. old)

The bigger can work outside.  (6)

Be satisfied with what you have.  (8)

Be content with what you have.  (9)

You are what you are.  (12)

To thine own self be true.  (40s)

The favorites game is for lapdogs, not real workers.  (40s)

The Other Classics:  https://youtu.be/AqrxgEln_Dw

R r: The letter R is a consonant that makes one sound, /r/.  Do not say /ruh/ or /er/.  Just /r/, like a dog growling.  Say it: /r/.  For the most part, R is a pretty regular guy.  At the beginning of words and the beginning of syllables, R just says /r/ without troubling other letters.  (He loves watching reruns of old t.v. programs.  More than that, he loves rock and roll.)  

    In the middle of words or of syllables, when looking in a mirror or reading a story, the vowels coming before R can mostly hold onto their sounds.  Yet R has a tendency to get the vowels in front of him to help him say /er/ as in sir or turn.  Or, R drafts A to help him say /ar/, as pirates would.  Thus, R—acting as either the clueless student who can’t answer a question—/er/—or the pirate—/ar/—takes over the sound of the vowel.  It is not quite robbery, and R certainly does not rule the roost, but that’s the way he gets to say his own name instead of just growling all the time.  We shall revisit these patterns when we learn the letter teams featuring R as the star player. 

What is every book’s favorite color?

Red.

Dow Stumbles 390 points . . . as report throws cold water on Moderna vaccine candidate  MarketWatch, 19 May 

Word Root/History of virtue:

virtus: [from Latin vir, man] manliness, manhood, strength, vigor, bravery, courage, virility, firmness, constancy, resolution, excellence . . . In war, courage, valor, bravery, gallantry, fortitude goodness, moral perfection, high character, virtue, worth.

(from a collection of Latin dictionaries)

a.k.a, The Vain Crow, The Crow and the Peacocks, Borrowed Feathers, Borrowed Plumes

     Milo Winter at Gutenberg.org: p. 51 

The Crux:  A crow (a.k.a. jackdaw) lives near some peacocks.  He sees the peacocks strutting around with their colored feathers and, seeing how plain he is, begins to think ill of himself.  He decides to don the appearance of the peacocks by picking up and putting on their feathers.  When he tries to join the peacocks (as one of them), they instantly see through the disguise.  The versions vary on how roughly the peacocks treat the crow and what they say to him, but they all make the same point: “you’re not one of us; get out of here.”  His ambitions of being a peacock dashed, the crow tries to return to his own kind.  But his fellow crows, knowing of his actions, do not want him around, either.  He was not satisfied being one of them, so he must think himself better than they are.  They kick him out, too, and he becomes an outcast.

S s: The letter S is a consonant that makes two sounds.  /s/, /z/.  Say them: /s/, /z/.  At the beginning of words, S almost always says /s/.  In the middle or at the end of words, S sometimes says /s/ and sometimes /z/, depending on the circumstances.  S often appears at the end of words.  S, like many other letters, often doubles up with his twin.  Two S’s together make the /s/ sound.  That’s it.  That’s the simple story of S.  But that is not the whole story.  If you want the whole story—or at least some of it for starters—then stay tuned, and we’ll set sail soon.  (Yes, that is a mixed metaphor.)

Who is Gulp’s younger, and more mannerly, brother?

Sip.

The economy is finally recovering from the coronavirus, but . . .  MarketWatch, 20 May 2020 (No one likes it when a but butts in to a positive note.)

virtue

While the dictionaries give us a string of clear, powerful meanings to the word virtue, we find encyclopedias less helpful on this front.  There is no entry in The Encyclopedia of Philosophy for virtue.  The Dictionary of the History of Ideas has an entry for the Italian virtú, meaning virtue, an important idea during the Renaissance, but not for virtue outside of that historical setting.

   You would think the early editions of the Encyclopædia Britannica, published in Edinburgh, the capital of moral philosophy in the 18th Century, would have an entry for virtue.  Yet there was nothing in the first edition.  There was nothing in the second.  Here is the minimal definition in the third:

VIRTUE, a term used in various significations.  In the general it denotes power, or the perfection of any thing, whether natural or supernatural, animate or inanimate, essential or accessory.  But, in its more proper or restrained sense, virtue signifies a habit, which improves and perfects the possessor and his actions.  See MORAL PHILOSOPHY.

This same entry, less than you would find in a dictionary, appeared through the seventh edition.  By the 11th edition, however, the entry had disappeared altogether.  What happened to virtue?  

     Hence, we turn to the Oxford English Dictionary, with a substantial offering from which we shall draw over two days.  This is only a selection. 

virtue

I. As a quality of persons.

1.a. The power or operative influence inherent in a supernatural or divine being.  Now archaic or obsolete.

[News Flash: A “superpower” used to be called a virtue.]

b. An embodiment of such power, esp. pl. one of the orders of the celestial hierarchy.

c. An act of superhuman or divine power; a “mighty work”; a miracle.  Obs.

2. Conformity of life and conduct with the principles of morality; voluntary observance of the recognized moral laws or standards of right conduct; abstention on moral grounds of any form of wrong-doing or vice.

1484 Caxton, Fables of Æsop: The roote of alle vertue is obedynce and humylyte. [The moral for “The Tree and the Reed”]

1850 F. W. Robertson: “That alone is virtue which has good placed before it and evil, and seeing the evil, chooses the good.”

Phrase: 1669 Dryden: “To follow Vertue, as its own reward.”

b. Personified or regarded as an entity.

1607 Dekker: “Virtue glories not in the spoil but in the victory.”

c. Chastity, sexual purity, especially on the part of women.

d. Industry, diligence. rare.

1641 Acts of Charles I: “It is necessary(y) that in everie schyre (shire) at leist thair be ane schooll or hous of vertue erected.”

Fable editors:

Pride comes before a fall.  Val Biro

Borrowed feathers do not make fine birds.  M. Winter

Be yourself.  M. Leaf

Men in debt are like this bird.  They cut a dash on other people’s money.  Make them pay up and you can recognize them for the nobodies they always were.  S. A. Handford  

(This is an oddly funny interpretation.  I don’t recommend using it with young students.)

Students and Teachers:

If you are a bird, don’t go near a peacock.  (6 yrs.)

Do not try to be what you are not.  (9)

Be who you are.  Stay the way God made you.  (11)

To thine own self be true.  (40s)

Find the beauty and force in your own feathers.  (50s)

The Other Classics:

https://youtu.be/2SLb05HMNKI

T t:  The letter T is a consonant that ordinarily makes one sound: /t/.  Say it: /t/.  Like so many other letters, T is found alone at the beginning of words and often (but not always) doubles up in the middle (as in batter or better—or, even better, letter—or little or baby-sitter or bottle or butter).  Sometimes (though not often) T doubles up at the end, too.  T is more likely to pair up at the end of proper names or nickname, such as Scott or Matt, than in a regular word.  Realize that the word watt was named after James Watt, the great Scottish inventor.  (“What’s a watt?” you ask.  There’s a science lesson in the making.)  So, the basic takeaway from T is that when T talks, he says /t/.

    But.  T also teams up with another letter often, and we shall think about that team thoroughly fairly soon, probably in two or three weeks.

    If that were not enough teaming up, T treats us to another sound when he stands in front of I in some words.  We ask you to be patient, as we can only give you an initial suggestion for now.

    What we must tell you about is not a letter team per se, but just a funny habit T has when he comes in front of his next-door neighbor, U.  Some say it’s because T once caught a cold from U and it make him go “Huhchoo.”  He makes a /ch/ sound.  He doesn’t do it when he is singing a tune (because T loves to sing).  But at other times, when squeezed between another letter and U, he cannot help himself: he is just a bit allergic to U.  When T is acting right, as our word of the week tells us, he has virtue.  When he falls on good fortune (or at least a fortune cookie), he says /ch/.  When he walks in nature or reads great literature, he says /ch/.  Children, do you want to be mature one day?  You will need T to say /ch/.  For right now, sit up straight and have good posture.  We could think of many other such situations, but we do not want to belabor, that is, torture the point right now. 

    For now, let’s remember that while there is no I in team, as you may have heard, there is a T in team.  And he comes at the front.  Toodle-loo.

P: /p/.

Qu: /kw/. 

R: /r/.

S: /s/, /z/.

T: /t/.

What ought to be the favorite food of every small child?

Tots.

Businesses, Job Market Show Slower Decline WSJ, 22 May 2020 (That's encouraging!)

    page 2, same article headline: Business, Jobs Start to Steady (The glass is half full!)

virtue from Oxford English Dictionary, cont.

3.a. (sing. and pl.) A particular moral excellence; a special manifestation of the influence of moral principles in life and conduct.

1644 Milton: “How great a vertue is temperance, how much of moment through the whole life of man?”

1682 Bunyan: “It is a sport now to some to taunt and squib and deride at other men’s virtues.”

1761 Hume, History of England: “courage, preferably to equity or justice, was the vertue most valued.”

b. In enumerations of certain moral qualities regarded as of special excellence or importance, as the four cardinal virtues, the three theological virtues, or the seven virtues opposed to the seven deadly sins.

c. [British term used re. Parliament]

d. A personified moral quality, or representations of this in painting, sculpture, etc. [like a sculpture of the Graces, the Muses, etc.]

4.a. To make a virtue of necessity . . . to submit to circumstances with a good grace.

5. Superiority or excellence, unusual ability, merit or distinction, in some respect.

6. obs. Physical strength, force, or energy.

7. The possession or display of manly qualities; manly excellence, manliness, courage, valour.

1668 Lassels: Marius . . . from a common soldier came by his warlike vertue to be seven times consul.

1817 James Mill: The English were called upon for the utmost exertions of their virtue.

Webster’s New International Dictionary:

Joseph Butler: Virtue is not to be considered in the light of mere innocence or abstaining from harm, but as the exertion of our faculties in doing good.

From Autobiography:

“It was about this time I conceiv’d the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection. . . .”  

Rules of Civility:

Rule 54: Play not the Peacock, looking every where about you, to See if you be well Dek’t, if your Shoes fit well if your Stokings Sit neatly, and Cloths handsomely.

    Last week we looked at greetings and good-byes—or salutations and farewells, if you prefer.  This week we go one step further, manners-wise.  In addition to greeting on first seeing and wishing well on departure, we have phrases that ask how a person is “doing,” that is, how he or she is “faring,” making his or her way in the world, how this complex experience called “life” is treating that person.  

    There are good reasons for this polite custom.  Human beings are curious creatures—in the sense of taking an interest in others.  We are also what certain moral philosophers have called sympathetic beings.  We naturally have good wishes and sympathies or “feelings” for others.  That sympathy expresses itself in common phrases we do well to learn and practice.

How are you doing?

How are you?

How are things?

How’s life?

All is well?

How have you (all) been?

Français

Comment allez vous?  (Pronounced /kō mō tahlā voo?/  Literally, How are you going?  More formal.)

(Comment) Ça va?  (Pronounced /sah vah?/.  Same meaning, less formal, often without comment, how.)

Comment ça se passe? (Pronounced /päs/).  How are (things) going or passing?  

Español

Cómo está usted? (How are you?  Formal.)

Cómo está? (How are you?  Informal.)

Qué pasa? (What’s going on?)

Qué tal? (How are you?)

Deutsch

Wie geht es Ihnen? (Pronounced /vē gāt ĕs ēnĕn/.  This is the formal way of asking someone “How it is going?” using the formal “you.”  We do not have a formal you in English.)

Wie geht es dir? (pronounced somewhat like deer: “How is it going with you?” using the informal you.)

Wie geht’s?  (pronounced /vē gāts/ or gates: “How’s it going?”  Even less formal.)

The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, King of Israel:

To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

Proverbs 1:1-4

U u: The letter U is a vowel with four sounds: /ŭ/, /ū/, /o͞o/, and /o͝o/.  These sounds can be found in the words cup, uniform, super, and push.  The “long” sound of U is a little confusing (as you would expect).  That sound really has a /y/ coming first and might be more accurately rendered as /yū/.  We find that sound when U begins many words such as uniform, united, use, and usurp, but also in the middle of words such as puny, future, mute, cute, and compute.  We might say in this sound (the second), U is truly saying his name.  The other “long” (or third) sound of U lacks the /y/ at the beginning.  In the word truly itself, we find /ū/ without the /y/, thus rendered /o͞o/ in our pronunciation key.  We find this sound in rude, blue, glue, & the name Sue.  Clearly, much depends on the letter that precedes the U in determining which long sound U uses.  For example, the letter C seems to bring on the /yū/ sound (when the U is long), as in cute, cube,cubical, Cupid, accuse, and cucumber.  Meanwhile, R calls for the third sound, as in rude, rule, rumor, ruminate, ruse, and that awful word, rubric.  (Notice that it would be very hard to say the /yū/ sound after an R, whereas it seems natural after C.)  For now, we shall just note the difference, which can be seen in the name of a famous hardware store, True Value (third sound, second sound).  

    More confusing, however, is having regional variation and even a little dispute over these two sounds.  In certain words, some folks pronounce them one way, some another.  I remember, growing up as a Texan with a fairly thick accent, getting mad at the narrator for the “Super Friends” (cartoon), who pronounced it /syū per/.  I would yell at the t.v., probably saying, “That’s /sto͞o pid/.”  Now, I am told that I pronounce stupid as /styū pid/.  (What have these Yankees done to me?)  Some words clearly require the second sound of U.  Mute would be a moot word without the first sound.  But others seem to go either way, according to where you are in the country or your own verbal habits: substitute, tumor, tutor, Tudor (though not many contemporary Americans talk about English historical royal regimes), and, of course, “Name that what,” class?  Tune.

    The first, or “short,” sound of U we find in words more often.  It is the pronunciation in the prefix un—, meaning not, the vowel sound we find in the word up, the first sound in the word umpire, the sound of U in the words cup, cut, supper,upper, uppercut, bunt, the vowel sound in our current president’s last name, and the vowel sound in the word jump, whether the exercise you do with a rope or David Lee Roth’s classic, and the sound of U in yuck.  Oh, and the sound of U in the word pronunciation.  Thus, the first sound of U says /ŭ/ or /uh/.  That should be easy enough to . . . understand.

    Yet there is a fourth sound we must give a push.  It sounds like the O’s in look or cook.  We find it in common words such as put, cushion, and bush.

    There is much more to undertake in understanding U.  For right now, we shall say “cut”, and conclude with one word we would be remiss not to use (which I prefer with a DQ preceding it): Dude!

What is absolutely the grossest and rudest way to give someone a hint or suggestion or try to make him agree with you.  (Answer employs a word using first sound of U.)

To put a bug in his ear.

American Is Reopening to Tension WSJ, 23 May 2020

Economy Displays Nascent Signs of Activity WSJ, 26 May 2020

     (Nascent beats nothing.)

Dow Soars . . . on Recovery Hopes and Vaccine News MarketWatch, 26 May

happiness  n. 1: a state of well-being and contentment; also: a pleasurable satisfaction 2. aptness.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary

(That definition is a little lean.  We shall work on happiness over the next couple of weeks.)

Milo Winter at Gutenberg.org: p. 21.

The Crux:  A wolf gets a bone stuck in his throat.  He calls out for help.  Depending on the version, he must promise a reward (and is sometimes refused by other animals) to get help.  (In other versions, the wolf knows to go directly to the crane).  The crane puts his bill down the wolf’s mouth and retrieves the bone.  After the wolf is saved, the crane asks for his reward (or fee).  The wolf tells the crane he should consider himself lucky that he does not snap off his head.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

—from Robert Lawrence Binyon, “For the Fallen” 

V v: The letter V is a consonant with one sound: /v/.  Say it: “/v/.”  No other letter makes the /v/ sound in English words, except the F in of.  You will find the W pronounced as /v/ in names coming from Germany, such as Wagner.  That is because Germans pronounce the W as we do a V.  Strangely, in Latin, the V is pronounced like a W.  Unlike many other letters, V does not join any letter teams.  And we rarely find the V being doubled, except in an odd word such as flivver.  V never ends a word, which is why we have Silent Final E following V in words such as have, give, live, love, dove, above, shove, etc.

    Though it does not affect the way we read or spell, V is one of two letters that have (at least historically) been used as a hand signal.  Nowadays, we recognize T, when a coach or player uses two hands to make the signal calling for a “time out.”  During World War II, the first and second fingers pointed upward meant “victory.”  We see that in the many pictures of Winston Churchill.  Unfortunately, during the Sixties the hippies somehow took over the V and made it a “peace” sign, though it looks nothing like a P.  Maybe we need to take back our V.  Finally, put T and V together, and what do you have?  (Answer: Kids “glued to the tube.”  Parents, you can use the “time-out” sign, too.)  

A bear wants honey like a miser wants money.

A horse wants oats like a politician wants _____.

If that’s too easy, then who is Mr. Car’s older cousin?

Obviously, votes.  

Second joke: Mr. Van.

The Dow Soars (see above).  Does the Airline Industry?  Does Mr. Buffett? (who sold most of his airlines stock)?  We’ll keep you posted.

happy (hăp' ē) adj. 1. Characterized by good luck; fortunate.  2. Enjoying, showing, or marked by pleasure, satisfaction, or joy.  3. Being especially well-adapted; felicitous: a happy turn of phrase.  4. Cheerful; willing: happy to help.  5.a. Characterized by a spontaneous or obsessive inclination to use something.  Often used in combination: trigger-happy. b. Enthusiastic about or involved with to a disproportionate degree.  Often used in combination: money-happy; clothes-happy. —happily adv. —happiness n.

Synonyms happy, fortunate, lucky, providential  These adjectives mean attended by luck or good fortune: a happy outcome; a fortunate omen; a lucky guess; a providential recovery.  

See also synonyms at glad.

[There is no stand-alone definition of happiness in this dictionary.]

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

Morals from Fable Editors:

There’s no reward for helping the wicked.  JP

Expect no reward for serving the wicked.  MW

Don’t expect a rascal to say “Thank you” or you will be disappointed.  VB

Some people just don’t deserve to be helped.  ML

Morals from Students and Teachers:

If you ever believe a wolf, just don’t believe it.  (6)

A wolf and a fox can’t be trusted because of their tricks.  (6)

Never trust a fiend.  (8)

Never trust a wolf.  (9)

The evil are not true to their word.  (12)

The wicked do not warrant our good will.  (40s)

Always get it in writing.  (50s)