Word of the Day

Shenanigan (noun)Pronunciation: [shê-'næn-ê-gên]

Definition: (Colloquial) A playful or mischievous act; a prank; a secret scheme or machination.
Usage: Today's word is more usually used in the plural: "Keep an eye on Elizabeth Crowley; she is always up to some kind of shenanigans." It is an orphaned oddity in the language with no other words that would admit to kinship.

Suggested Usage: This is not a word used in formal English but is common in colloquial English. Shenanigans are usually something people are up to, "Will we ever know what sort of shenanigans the financial officers of Enron were really up to?" When anything of value is at stake, shenanigans are something you would want to cut out: "Cut out the shenanigans with the cards up your sleeve, Dizzy Lizzy, and let's play poker."

Etymology: Although the word sounds a lot like "she-nanny-goat" and even though goats are associated with prankishness, there is no evidence of any association between these words and today's. "Shenanigan" was first recorded in 1855 in California, which has led to speculation that it is related to Spanish chanada "trick" or the German schinaglen "to trick." In all probability, though, it was another word brought over by our Irish brethren: Gaelic sionnachuighim "I play the fox," which is to say, "I play tricks." –Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com

Quote of the day...

"Reason and judgment are the qualities of a leader"- Tacitus

Two qualities that Elizabeth Crowley seems to lack.

No office in 28 days and now a stop work order to show..

Looks like Elizabeth Crowley still does not have her district office up and running. You would think that after 28 long days she would be able to start servicing the constituents of the 30th Council District. But we have to give credit where credit is due. We thought she would prove to be an abysmal failure as an elected official after a few months in office, however she exceeded our expectations by proving she is incompetent in less than 28 days. Way to go Liz!

To add insult to injury, she is renovating her new district office located at 64-77 Dry Harbor Road without the proper permits from the Department of Buildings. There are numerous complaints against the illegal construction. One complaint states that she is creating a dangerous situation for pedestrians and school children. Today the DOB has issued a StopWork Order because or the illegal construction. Looks like the new Councilwoman has no clue about DOB procedure. What a mess!

Hey, let's look on the bright side, we only have to put up with her for another 278 days and then we can vote her out of office.

Who does Eric Ulrich look like?

Day 18 and Elizabeth Crowley's Still Not Operational

Looks like Elizabeth Crowley still does not have her district office up and running. You would think that after 18 long days she would be able to start servicing the constituents of the 30th Council District. But we have to give credit where credit is due. We thought she would prove to be an abysmal failure as an elected official after a few months in office, however she exceeded our expectations by proving she is incompetent in less than 18 days. Way to go Liz!

Hey, let's look on the bright side, we only have to put up with her for another 288 days and then we can vote her out of office.

Elizabeth Crowley Off To a Slow Illegal Start

The new councilwoman for the 30th District is off to a slow and illegal start to what will be a very short stint in city politics. Councilwoman Dizzy Lizzy Crowley who won the election in November thanks to the Obama wave has yet to have a district office up and running to service her constituents.

In classic Elizabeth Crowley style, she is now squatting in the former office of Councilman Como and Councilman Dennis Gallagher after publicly stating that she would never use that office. Adding insult to injury, she blatantly violated the law by placing campaign posters in the window that we the taxpayers own.

It is clear that the residents of the 30th Council district are in big trouble and will have a representative in the city council that is clueless, useless and careless. However, for those of us in the blogosphere, she will most certainly give us so much to write about.