Messages of other months can be read by clicking HERE.

Pi(e) (10/07/02)

Fourth of July (10/07/08)

Caesarian Section (10/07/11)

Cardinals (10/07/15)

Summer (10/07/23)

Kind of Messages (10/07/26)

August (10/07/31)

Pi(e) (10/07/02)

There are two homophones in English pronounced pi (e). What we think of when we hear that word depends on our interest. Those interested in eating will think of the 3-letter word meaning “A baked food composed of a shell of pastry that is filled with fruit, meat, cheese, or other ingredients.” Those interested in mathematics will think of the 2-letter word, “A transcendental number, approximately 3.14159, representing the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle and appearing as a constant in a wide range of mathematical problems.” The stimulation for this message was an old newspaper clipping I recently found in my files. It was in the May 18,1974 issue of a Valparaiso, Indiana newspaper. It read: “Steven ‘Speed’ Offner, 20, a Valparaiso University electrical engineering student, has memorized pi, (the ratio of the outside of a circle to its diameter) to 1,650 decimal places and is declaring it a world record. Pi is normally carried out to only eight decimal places—3.14159265. Current official record for memorizing pi decimal places was set by Nigel Hodgers, 14, of Bodmin Grammar School, Cornwall, England, in May 1973, and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Offner’s feat was witnessed by Arthur T, Surges, chairman, V. U. Branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Offner’s parents are missionaries in Japan.” The Guinness Book of World Records was notified, but a student from India had memorized a larger number of figures, so our son did not get recognized. In the 1987 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, it is written that, in 1981, a 23-year-old Indian man had recited Pi “from memory (in English) to 31,811 places in 3 hours 40 min (including 26 min of breaks).” Amazing! Two years ago, while my wife and I were sitting at a restaurant with our son and his daughter, he wrote on a blank piece of paper the first hundred figures of that number, so he still remembers them now. (1310)

Fourth of July (10/07/08)

A previous message noted two homophones having two and three letters: “pi” and “pie.” This message begins with four homophones having three and four, five and six letters: “for” and “four,” “forth” and “fourth.” “Four” is a cardinal number and “fourth” is an ordinal number. It was on the fourth day of July in the year 1776 that the Continental Congress, representing 12 American colonies, voted for the “Declaration of Independence,” hoping that emphasizing the rights of “life, liberty and property” would bring forth good results. Although “Independence Day” is the official name of this holiday, in my experience, “4th of July” has always been a more popular name for that day. The residents of this retirement community I have asked have affirmed that that was true for them also. It is on the 4th of July that parades, band concerts, speeches, pageantry, picnics, fireworks, etc., are held. In my small hometown about 50 miles north of Chicago, it was common for citizens to gather at the large community park at the center of the town, where the band(s) that marched in the parade continued to play, an important baseball game was played and various individualized contests were held. A large merry-go-round and a large Ferris wheel had been erected for the occasion. After it became dark, beautiful firework displays were heard and seen in the sky. Although I am sure there were reminders of the reason for the celebration in the park also, the historic significance of the date was not emphasized. This year (2010), since the 4th of July fell on Sunday, which is a weekly holiday, the festivities took place on the following day. It is good to know the meaning and historical background of the customs and activities we observe. (1311)

Caesarian Section (10/07/11)

We are now enjoying (or enduring) the hottest time of the year in this northern hemisphere: July and August. In the ancient Roman calendar, which began in March, names of the months were related to the number of the month, as in Japanese today. After Gaius Julius Caesar became ruler of the empire, the name of the seventh month was changed to “July” to honor him. Seventeen years later, in 27 B.C.E., the name of the eighth month was changed to “August” to honor Caesar Augustus, the first emperor. Although one meaning of “section” is “a subdivision of a written work,” we do not call this part of the calendar the “Caesarian section.” Another meaning of “section” is “the act or process of separating or cutting, especially the surgical separation of tissue.” In my dictionary, the definition of “Caesarian section” is “a surgical incision through the abdominal wall and uterus, performed to extract a fetus.” When my wife and I first arrived in Japan in 1951, following two weeks of stormy weather on a freighter, my wife was pregnant with our first child. At one meal, she failed to grab the table in time and made a backward somersault on the floor. A few months later, when she gave birth, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his throat three times and the baby suffocated during the birth process. Two years later, her intensive labor prompted the doctor to suggest a Caesarian section, which he performed. The same process was followed for our third child, born in the U.S.A., but the fourth child died the day after his birth in Japan, which the doctor advised should be the last Caesarian section. We are thankful for the three healthy children we now have and feel better able to share God’s comfort with others because of our experiences—as noted in II Corinthians 1:3-7, which I advise you to read.(1312)

Cardinals (10/07/15)

In the previous message on the “Fourth of July,” I stated that “‘four’ is a cardinal number and ‘fourth’ is an ordinal number.” That simple comment stimulated my interest in the wide variety in the meaning and implications of the word “cardinal.” This message is the result. A “cardinal number” (1, 2, 3, 4) indicates quantity and an “ordinal number” (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) indicates order. Likewise, a “cardinal point” is one of the four principal directions on a compass (north, south, east, west), on which the intermediate directions (northeast, southwest, northwest by west, etc.) hinge. Derived from the Latin word for “hinge,” “cardinal” may designate something of special importance, pivotal, that on which something turns or depends. “Cardinal” may also mean a particular (dark red) color, or a North American bird (the male of which has a crested head, a short thick bill, and bright-red plumage). Also, there is a professional American baseball team in the city of St. Louis called the St. Louis Cardinals, so a member of that team may also be called a “Cardinal.” Finally, in a religious context, “cardinal” has a special meaning. The highest order in the Roman Catholic Church is the College of Cardinals. In this case, “college” does not signify an educational institution, but a company of persons having a common purpose. The College of Cardinals is composed of bishops, priests and deacons appointed by and ranking just below the pope, who is appointed by them. These cardinals are given a red, broad-brimmed, tasseled hat by the pope, although it is not usually worn. To inform a friend that you saw a cardinal can have a variety of meanings. (1313)

Summer (10/07/23)

A year is the period of time it takes for the earth, the planet on which we live, to make one revolution around the sun. In the Gregorian calendar, now used around the world, a year is divided into 365 days, 12 months and 4 seasons and we are now over halfway through this year. Having experienced over 200 days, we are now in the 7th month and enjoying, or enduring, the 2nd season. According to my dictionary, “summer” is “the usually warmest season of the year occurring between spring and autumn and comprising in the Northern Hemisphere June, July and August, or as calculated astronomically, extending from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox.” “Solstice” derived from Latin words meaning “sun stand,” designates “the two times of the year when the sun has no apparent northward or southward motion.” “Equinox” derived from Latin words meaning “equal night,” designates “either of the two times during a year . . . when the length of day and night are approximately equal.” There are a number of stories in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, related to the nature of the universe. One memorable statement is found in the concluding part of the story of Noah and the ark following the universal flood. In Genesis, chapter 8, verse 22, it is written: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” How the different seasons of the year are viewed depends on many different factors, but the observation expressed in Proverbs 10:5 should be recognized by young people today also. There it is written: “A son who gathers in summer is prudent, but a son who sleeps in harvest brings shame.” (1314)

Kind of Messages (10/07/26)

Today's message is a little different than usual. Before writing it, I had written a message about “Oil/Petroleum,” which included a couple of long quotations from a dictionary. As I was about to send it, I decided to ask for the kind of messages the present readers prefer. My wife and I are now living in an assisted living unit which we both enjoy, but which requires certain changes in our schedules. As we were listening to a cassette tape made by our elder son 35 years ago regarding the trip he made hitchhiking from his university in Indiana to the southernmost tip of Florida, I was very interested in the different experiences he had along the way and thought of my experiences in hitchhiking regularly from my home to the university I attended about 200 miles away and to the seminary I attended about 900 miles away and to Mexico City from Chicago. Then, I wondered whether the readers of these messages would be more interested in personal experiences than in scholastic treatises and I decided to request a response from them. What kind of messages do you prefer? A kind person can compose various kinds of messages—including personal experiences and emphasizing grammatical, scientific, religious, ethical, humorous, scholarly, mathematical, political aspects. I would be very happy to receive a simple communication from you indicating the kind(s) of messages you prefer, which I will take into consideration when I compose future messages. Years ago, this began as a “telephone service” to give Japanese students of English an opportunity to hear an interesting, informative, meaningful message by a native speaker, but times have changed. I am not sure how much longer this service will continue, but I am now trying to compose about 3 messages a week. Please inform me of your preference(s). My e-mail address is: clarboff2@aol.com (1315)

August (10/07/31)

Those of you who have been reading these messages (whether called “Daily Word” or “Timely Words”) over a long period of time realize that I am interested in the meaning of words and how and why they acquired their present meanings. For example, we are now moving from the seventh month of this Gregorian calendar to the eighth month. Without looking at a calendar, can you tell me how many days are in these months and why they have that number? How many months in a year have that number of days and which months are they? In the ancient Roman calendar, from which our present calendar was derived, the names of months were related to their number, as is the case in Japan even today. When two new months were inserted at the beginning of the year, which began in March, all the month numbers became out of order, but continued to be used until the changes were officially recognized, which was the case for July and August. When Julius Caesar, the Roman statesman, military leader and writer, became the dictator, the name of the fifth month was changed from “Quintilis” to “Julius” in his honor. Fifteen years later, the name of the sixth month was changed from “Sextilis” to “Augustus” in honor of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, and an extra day was added to that month so that it would not have fewer days than the previous month of July. Incidentally, if you feel a bit august during this month of August, you should remember that both the accent and the pronunciation of these two words, which are spelled the same (although one begins with a capital letter) are different. (1316)