The JackB

"When you're in jail, a good friend will be trying to bail you out. A best friend will be in the cell next to you saying, 'Damn, that was fun'." Groucho Marx

Archives for February 2009

Vocabulary Words #10- Obscure but Interesting

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Welcome to the tenth edition of Vocabulary words. I love to write and enjoy learning new words. Below you will find a list of words that I have stumbled upon and decided to share with you. It is not in alphabetical order. Instead sets of words appear from their respective editions.

Here is part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part 6, part seven, part eight and part nine.

Here are the new words for this edition:

Raconteur-One who tells stories and anecdotes with skill and wit.
Callipygian–adj.Having beautifully proportioned buttocks.
Lachrymose–adj.

  1. Weeping or inclined to weep; tearful.
  2. Causing or tending to cause tears.

Perspicacious–adj. Having or showing penetrating mental discernment; clear-sighted.
Flibbertigibbet–n. A silly, scatterbrained, or garrulous person.
Jejune-adj. Not interesting; dull: “and there pour forth jejune words and useless empty phrases” (Anthony Trollope).
Lacking maturity; childish: surprised by their jejune responses to our problems.
Lacking in nutrition: a jejune diet

A list of previously used words can be found just below:

Ollendorffian– in the stilted language of foreign phrase-books.
gerascophobia –a morbid, irrational fear of, or aversion to, growing old.
bathysiderodrophobia –the fear of subways, undergrounds or metros.
hormephobia-Fear of shock.
cacoethes loquendi-the irresistible urge to speak.
cacoethes scribendi-the irresistible urge to write
saudade-[Port.] yearning or longing, but more than that…
Scaturient-L. scaturiens, p. pr. of scaturire gush out, from scatere to bubble, gush.]
Gushing forth; full to overflowing; effusive. [R.]
Walpurgisnacht1) the eve of May Day on which witches are held to ride to an appointed rendezvous
2) something (as an event or situation) having a nightmarish quality
barlafumble[fr. parley, call for truce + ?] Scot. obs.
a call for a truce by one who has fallen in fighting or play; a request for a time out
defalcate–intr.v., -cat·ed, -cat·ing, -cates. To misuse funds; embezzle.
Dactylonomy–n.[Gr. da`ktylos finger + no`mos law, distribution.]
The art of numbering or counting by the fingers.
recrudesce–intr.v., -desced, -desc·ing, -desc·es.To break out anew or come into renewed activity, as after a period of quiescence.
videlicet-vÄ­-dÄ•l’Ä­-sÄ•t’, vÄ«-, wÄ­-dā’lÄ­-kÄ•t’) pronunciation
adv. (Abbr. viz.)
That is; namely. Used to introduce examples, lists, or items.
temerarious–adj. Presumptuously or recklessly daring
Tentiginous-[L. tentigo, -inis, a tension, lecherousness, fr. tendere, tentum, to stretch.]

1. Stiff; stretched; strained. [Obs.] Johnson.

2. Lustful, or pertaining to lust. [Obs.] B. Jonson
Urinator–n.[L., from urinari to plunge under water, to dive.]
One who dives under water in search of something, as for pearls; a diver.
usufruct–n.The right to use and enjoy the profits and advantages of something belonging to another as long as the property is not damaged or altered in any way.
Jackpudding–n.A merry-andrew; a buffoon.
Jobbernowl–n.[OE. jobbernoule, fr. jobarde a stupid fellow; cf. E. noll.]
A blockhead.
nikhedonia-fr. Nike, the Greek goddess of victory + hedoné, pleasure] the pleasure derived from anticipating success
quidnunckery-[fr. L. quid nunc, what now] nonce-word curiosity, love of news or gossip (also quid-nunc-ism)
mancinism-the condition of being left-handed
macroverbumsciolist– 1) a person who is ignorant of large words
2) a person who pretends to know a word, then secretly refers to a dictionary.
mastigophorer-obs. a fellow worthy to be whipped.
matutolypea-getting up on the wrong side of the bed.
xenodochiophobia -the fear of foreign hospitality (worry about foreign hotels).
Xenodochium-n.(a) (Class. Antiq.) A house for the reception of strangers. (b) In the Middle Ages, a room in a monastery for the reception and entertainment of strangers and pilgrims, and for the relief of paupers. [Called also Xenodocheion.]
Knobstick-n.

1. One who refuses to join, or withdraws from, a trade union. [Cant, Eng.]

2. A stick, cane, or club terminating in a knob; esp., such a stick or club used as a weapon or missile; a knobkerrie.

effulgence-\i-FUL-juhn(t)s\, noun:
The state of being bright and radiant; splendor; brilliance.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
divaricate-To diverge at a wide angle; spread apart.
Otiant– idle; resting.
machicolation– n. apertures in parapet or floor of gallery for firing upon persons below. machicolate, v.t. furnish with these
Secern– To discern as separate; discriminate.
prothalamion -A song in celebration of a wedding; an epithalamium.
a capite ad calcem–From head to heel.
ad internecionem– To extermination.
Abusus non tollit usum-Wrong use does not preclude proper use.
ad captandum vulgus-To attract or to please the rabble.
Abligurition– n.[L. abligurito, fr. abligurire to spend in luxurious indulgence; ab + ligurire to be lickerish, dainty, fr. lingere to lick.]
Prodigal expense for food. [Obs.] Bailey.
Anililagnia– an attraction to older women.
Armsaye: the armhole in clothing.
Euneirophrenia: peace of mind after a pleasant dream.
Suppedaneum: foot support for crucifix victims.
Adfenestration: V. The act of entering through a window, usually surreptitiously.
Vatic–adj.Of or characteristic of a prophet; oracular.

Slumdog Millionaire

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Managed to find a way to catch another flick. Slumdog Millionaire was excellent, I really enjoyed it. It was one of those films that I really didn’t know much about and truth is that I was hesitant to go see it, but I am really glad that I did.

It truly was outstanding. I might take some time to write more about it later, but not now. Anyway, I decided to list all of the movies I have seen in the past two months. The order below reflects how much I enjoyed them.

Slumdog Millionaire
Gran Torino
Defiance
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Wrestler
Rachel Getting Married
Doubt
The Reader
Benjamin Button

Philematology-The science of Kissing

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The science of kissing. Sounds like a study that I might have concocted in my college days, except back then it would have been funded solely by me. 😉

At the risk of ruining my reputation I’ll concede that a good kiss has always influenced my decisions. In fact one kiss changed my life, but that is not a story to be told now.

“the practice of kissing is nearly universal. It is practiced in at least 90 percent of cultures among sexual or romantic partners, experts say. Now, scientists are investigating the biological factors underlying that ubiquitous expression of love.

The science of kissing even has a name: philematology. Research on the subject was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science in Chicago on Friday.

“Kissing is not just kissing. It is a major escalation or de-escalation point in a powerful process of mate choice,” said Helen Fisher, professor at Rutgers University and author of the book “Why Him, Why Her: Finding Real Love by Understanding Your Personality Type.

A study by Gordon Gallup Jr., professor of psychology at the University of Albany, showed that 59 percent of men and 66 percent of women reported that after feeling attracted to another person initially, the attraction ended after the first kiss, Fisher said.

Looking at a sample of more than 1,000 college students, Gallup and colleagues found that women also tend to emphasize kissing more than men, and are much more likely to insist on kissing before a sexual encounter.

A person receives information about the person he or she is smooching by locking lips, Fisher said. A kiss transmits smells, tastes, sound and tactile signals that all affect how the individuals perceive each other and, ultimately, whether they will want to kiss again.

Women tend to be attracted to male partners with a different immune system makeup from their own, Fisher said. They subconsciously detect information about a partner’s immune system through smell during kissing, she said.

Research led by Wendy Hill, professor of neuroscience at Lafayette College, looked at how kissing affects the hormones oxytocin, sometimes called the “love hormone,” which is associated with social bonding, and cortisol, a measure of stress.”

Credit Card Problems- The System is Broken

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In the years since I graduated from college I have grown to be quite wary of late night and early morning telephone calls because invariably they only come when there is a problem. The sole exception that comes to mind are the early morning telephone calls that I received about the birth of nieces and nephews, those were pretty cool and worth losing sleep over.

But aside from those moments the primary association I have with the odd hour telephone call is not positive. They have been notices of death or illness, not good news. So when the phone rang at a little past ten I was instantly on guard. The caller ID was restricted so for a moment I was hesitant to answer it, but then concern got the best of me so I picked it up.

It turned out that a dear friend was on the line and in need of a friendly ear. He made some small talk and then launched into a story about bad his finances are and how he can’t pay his bills. I felt for him. He has a good work ethic and has always worked hard, but during the past few years he has been laid off a few times.

Each time it happened he picked himself up and did his best to go and find a new job. In between he did what he could to support his family. What little savings he had was quickly eaten up and he found himself using the credit cards to try and get by. They didn’t go for fancy meals, vacations or luxury cars.

They were used to purchase groceries, pay tuition for his children, buy clothing for them and other things of this nature. In short, they helped to cover necessities. Gradually he developed balances on them and though he did his best to try to pay them off the odd jobs he worked didn’t pay enough to prevent them from becoming maxed out.

When he called me he was in a panic. He didn’t have enough money to pay all of his bills. He was a week late in paying one of the cards and had received two calls from them asking when they could expect payment.

During the second call he explained his situation to the bank and asked if they could work with him. They gave him two options in which his account would be frozen and he’d be asked to pay a set amount each month to pay off the bill.

He told them he couldn’t afford the amount he was quoted and asked if they could extend the term so that he could pay a lesser amount. The representative told him no and that because he was late in paying his interest rate had been raised to more than 28%.

He reiterated that he wanted to pay them, that he wasn’t trying to shirk his responsibility. He said that if it was a $100 less a month he could afford to make the payments. They turned him down and he asked what he should do.

In turn he was told that if he continued to withold payment the card would go into default and he’d probably gain more options. He told them that he didn’t want that to happen, that he was willing to pay and couldn’t they work with him. And again they apologized, but said that policy was policy.

I could hear the anger and the frustration in his voice. When he told me that they system was broken I had to agree.

When the banks got into trouble they went to the government to receive aid. When he went to the bank asking for them to grant him some assistance he got a poke in the eye and a kick in the pants.

Even better, his tax dollars are part of what is helping to fund the banks bailout.

I have heard and read a lot of comments about how people need to be responsible and that we should let the chips fall where they may. It may sound like a good idea to let things lie, but sometimes you need to be there to give people a hand up.

There are more and more stories about middle class families like my friend who are in serious financial distress. I don’t have the answer, but I think that if we don’t find ways to help we are all going to end up paying the price.

A Valentine’s Day Card

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Men, if you’re like me and you wish to protest against the holiday one way to do so is to hand out this as a card. Please note that I take no responsibility for any positive or negative response generated as a result of the card.

Valentine’s Day- A Day That Should Live In Infamy

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If for some reason you are unable to listen to the audiopost above let me give you a basic rundown on what it contains. It is a repeat of my call to arms for men to free ourselves from the bonds of servitude of forced romance. It is time to rise up and remove the shackles, to no longer be burdened with trying to serve a cruel master.

Valentine’s Day is a fake holiday whose sole design is to use pain and suffering to guilt people into spending money on foolish cards and foolish gifts.

I say enough is enough. It is long past time for us to push this sad day into the dustbin of history. Ban the day from our lexicon, rise up and be free. Romance should be spontaneous and not forced.

Frak this holiday. So say we all.