Word – Screed

Screed (n.) – a lengthy ranting piece of writing.

The journalist receives screeds of abuse for suggesting HRT is a horrible F1 team.

Word – prescient

Prescient – (adj.) – Showing knowledge of things before they take place.

Often misused as a meaning of "wise" or "timely knowledge" when not necessarily being PREceding knowledge.

Parlous

Parlous (adj) is dangerously shrewd or cunning, full of risk.

As in the parlous finances of America’s municipal governments. Economist 12/3/11 article about Jefferson county and other state and local governments that are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. What a yikes of an era we live in.

Dyad

A dyad is a group of two. A couple. A pair.

A dyad of musical notes.
A dyad is two chromatids joined by the centromere.
A dyad is the smallest possible social group.
A dyad is a mother and fetus.

Psephological

Never heard this one before. Psephology is the study of elections. The root of the word is “pebble”, since Greece used pebbles to count in their democratic elections.

Pusillanimity

Pusillanimity is cowardliness. Countries need leadership, not pusillanimity from their leaders.

Thrall

Thrall
I’m familiar with enthralled, which is to captivate or subjugate. The 11/19/11 issue of The Economist referred to India as being “in thrall” with the Gandhi family, the “democratic world’s most successful political dynasty”. So in Britain at least, the root of the word is still in use. Thrall means slave. To be enthralled is to be enslaved by the idea you so admire.

Shape up soon

My racing interest is dominated by four types.  F1, Indycar, MotoGP, and sprint cars on dirt.   Believe me that’s enough, any more and my tv would catch fire.   Well Indycar has its problems, no one would argue that.  I still love it.  But there are undoubtedly problems in leadership.  A televised sport is a consumable product, and during a couple decades of Indycar in-fighting nascar went and marketed itself loads better to become the dominant motorsport in America.  Along with marketing, their management and organization is simply more professional.   With the latest gaffe by Indycar leadership, memorialized by Will Power’s hilarious double bird to the officials, there has been an outcry among fans for the removal of Brian Barnhart from his various positions of authority.   This song is my contribution to that outcry:

To the tune of Casey Jones…  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQF8CILMt8c

SHAPE UP INDYCAR

This open wheeler
makes it on time
putting on races
since 1909
Went back to New Hampshire
not too long ago
that’s the final straw
Brian, you’ve got to go

CHORUS
Driving that train
with half a brain
Indycar you better
shape up soon
Cars going fast
put the bad in the past
Leadership must act to make
the league grow and last

Hard job and decisions
running the competition
Take my advice
give the fans what they are wishing
These cars are the best
In the U.S. of A.
Randy take us back on top
like back in the day

CHORUS
Driving that train
with half a brain
Indycar you better
shape up soon
Cars going fast
put the bad in the past
Leadership must act to make
the league grow and last

Trouble with you is
the trouble with me
we’re stuck under the rule
of TGBB
With all that wreckage
you know he’s got to go
Like Willy’s birds say “Yo
This guy can’t run the show”

CHORUS
Driving that train
with half a brain
Indycar you better
shape up soon
Cars going fast
put the bad in the past
Leadership must act to make
the league grow and last

The Five social networks

the Five

I have profiles on all five of these networks, though I’m not a superuser on any of them.   Well this infographic compares features on The Five.

Words this week

the doyen of ceiling frescos

Feckless -  irresponsible, inept, incompetent, ineffective, useless

Provenance – origin, or earliest known history of something

Doyen – the most respected or prominent person in a particular field

Also that the four advantages humans have over other animals that have allowed us to thrive are:

• Intelligence
• Language
• Tools / dexterity
• Cooperation