Word: lent
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Then there were the bigger-than-life moments in dealing with writers who are legends in the making. Harold Bloom, fresh from his widely praised rumination on Shakespeare, lent us his magisterial tone for the essay on Billy Graham--a subject Bloom is familiar with from his close study of American religion. He was hardly the distant don, with his infectiously warm phone manner, addressing everyone as "my dear" while dropping invitations...
Movies have lent the most perishable qualities, such as youth, beauty and comedy, a millennial shelf life. Until the cameras rolled, stars of the past could only be remembered, not experienced. Had she been born earlier, Marilyn might have existed as only a legendary rumor, a Helen of Troy or Tinker Bell. But thanks to Blockbuster, every generation now has immediate access to the evanescent perfection of Marilyn bumping and cooing her way through that chorine's anthem, Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend, in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Only movie stars have the chance to live possibly forever...
...killers gave evil a face, the victims lent theirs to grace. In ever widening circles the story that lingers is the tale of Cassie Bernall, the girl who when asked "Do you believe in God?" was murdered when she said yes. We expect our martyrs to be etched in stained glass, not carrying a backpack and worrying about their weight and their finals. Hers is a mystery story, the tale of a girl lost to bad friends and drugs and witchcraft and all the dark places of teenage rebellion. Even a youth minister who had some experience turning poisoned kids...
...what it cannot convey is the American notion that all faiths and creeds are entitled to equal respect. The teachings of Christ infuse the academic environment. Hallways are lined with posters asking, WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? A morning announcement over the p.a. system reminds students of the importance of Lent, and tells them to pray to "the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." And all students, Roman Catholic or not, must participate in Catholic prayer. "We're very up front about the fact that we have a formal religion class every day," says Sister Anne Maline, Metro Catholic...
...pointed out that the old analog camcorder some friends lent us last year--roughly the size and weight of a parking meter--isn't exactly state of the art. Video cameras began to shrink more than a decade ago with the introduction of 8-mm tape in cigarette pack-size cassettes that were far smaller than the bulky VHS tapes that fit in our borrowed recorder. Quality improved in 1989 with the introduction of Hi8 film, and it caught on with some 10 million consumers, making 8 mm and Hi8 the most popular format. (The closest competition...