Word: mama
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...most important demographic for Barack Obama in November might be old Jews in Florida, and the most important old Jew in Florida is my grandmother. That's because, at least in 2000, Mama Ann voted twice: once normally and once when she sneaked into a booth to help a friend who couldn't see well and she punched the ballot for Al Gore. At least she thinks it was Gore...
...figure out how to woo Mama Ann, a lifelong liberal in Fort Lauderdale who has been leaning toward John McCain, I called Tennessee's Jewish U.S. Representative Steve Cohen, an early Obama supporter. Cohen's first suggestion was to appeal to the classic Jewish-grandmother soft spots by telling her what terrific schools Obama went to and that he's a lawyer. Then Cohen started working on the commonalities between Obama and Mama Ann. "Barack grew up in Hawaii," Cohen said. "They have lots of beaches." If Cohen really thinks Mama Ann has left her condo...
Armed with these powerful arguments, I called Mama Ann and asked her to explain her concerns about Obama. "First, the man hasn't got the experience," she said. "I also think he's a Muslim." When I tried to convince her that he's a Christian, she said, "There are good Muslims and bad Muslims--that I have to admit. Just like there are good and bad Jews." When I cautiously reminded her that Obama goes to church, which I know she's well aware of, she still wasn't convinced. "I think he is. He went to Muslim schools...
...sensed Mama Ann was changing her mind for no good reason, I started to wonder what my good reasons for supporting Obama were. Did I really think that he'd get us out of Iraq all that much faster, that he could actually deliver health care to everyone or that he'd erase the anger between the parties and races? This is a guy, after all, who is no better than I am at stopping his grandmother from saying racist things. Sure, I like that Obama makes people feel optimistic and willing to give, but if I really liked that...
...started when I took elementary Mandarin my first year at Harvard. Chinese is an extraordinary language. The sound “ma,” when said with one of four different tones, can mean mother, hemp, horse, or scold. “Mama ma ma” can mean “Mother scolded the horse.” The language relies on the intricacies of tone and the movements of the mouth, tongue, and throat rather than only the sounds...