Word: litmus
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...view, there is no good reason to believe that there is a political litmus test at work in the selection of speakers. Many factors, not least of which is the availability of the speaker, are taken into account, and we doubt Thatcher has not been pursued at some time by the University. Moreover, the three world leaders Mansfield cited as "mediocre" are far from it. Robinson, for one, is a crusader for human rights worldwide who previously revolutionized the office of the Irish presidency...
...were Republicans, including Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, a chief sponsor of the hate-crimes bill. Now the group is locked in an internal struggle over whether to endorse New York Senator Alfonse D'Amato over his Democratic rival, Representative Charles Schumer. Though conservative on abortion rights and other liberal litmus tests, D'Amato has in recent years come around on most gay issues...
...delicious frenzy of vibrant melodies, pizzicati flurries of fast notes, vigorous chords, and just general virtuostic brilliance. Gil Shaham was obviously in his element, a consummate performer to the very end. On top of that, he tossed it off exuberantly, making it all look completely effortless and fun-that litmus test of true performance magic...
...this question was an appropriate litmus test for Schroder's integrity or fitness for office, it may seem impressive that he could win by as wide a margin as he did--except for the fact that the new chancellor's necessary and sufficient selling point in Sunday's election was that he is not Helmut Kohl. Sixteen years is double the length of time any American president is allowed to serve (unless his predecessor resigns, of course) and was long enough to make people question whether or not democracy was still kicking in Germany...
...correctness should be trying to do is to make people more conscious of what they say. Language, after all, is power; as a medium of communication, it can affirm or degrade the humanity of others. If someone does call me a "Chink," I can put their language through the litmus test of political correctness and recognize it as degrading. Recognizing that language can be used to strip others of their humanity, political correctness only codifies this recognition into a policy. Invoking political correctness forces the person who called me a "Chink" to accept that what he or she has said...