Word of the Day: impute

Richard Verry November 25, 2016 No Comments

Word of the Day: impute

Source: unknown

Impute (verb) im-PYOOT

Definition

1 : to lay the responsibility or blame for often falsely or unjustly

2 : to credit to a person or a cause

Examples

“Now, one comment in reaction to my essay said that by talking about the city’s problems and not its promise, I was in the business of tearing down Syracuse. At LeMoyne, I was taught that the most dangerous thing to do in argument was to impute motives to your opponent.” — Carl Schramm, Forbes.com, 4 Mar. 2013

“The CAS panel concluded that Sharapova’s case ‘was not about an athlete who cheated.’ Instead, the panel found, ‘It was only about the degree of fault that can be imputed to a player for her failure to make sure that the substance contained in a product she had been legally taking over a long period … remained in compliance.” — Tom Perrotta, The Wall Street Journal, 4 Oct. 2016

Source: quizlet.com

Did You Know?

Impute is a somewhat formal word that is used to suggest that someone or something has done or is guilty of something. It is similar in meaning to such words as ascribe and attribute, though it is more likely to suggest an association with something that brings discredit. When we impute something, we typically impute it to someone or something. You may also encounter the related noun imputation, which appears in such contexts as “I deny all your imputations of blame.” Another sense of impute means “to calculate as a value or cost (as for taxation),” as in “impute a benefit from the use of the car.”

Source: roystoncartoons.com

My Take

Do you know how hard it is to find images related to today’s word, impute without insulting someone? It means to lay blame falsely or to credit a person unjustly.

I just won’t do it on this blog. My errors are my own, and I will not blame someone else for my short givings. I did question the difference between Impute and Impune. I thought they were related, but I wanted to make sure. I’m happy to say; they are, but not exactly. Impune is an adjective meaning ‘unpunished.’ I take it that the individual blaming someone else (impute) for their error, may remain unpunished (impune) for their actions if they successfully transfer the blame.

Source: viewsaskew.wordpress.com

That said, I stayed away from using images with real people, or at least where you can recognize them. That left me with banners of the word and cartoons, and of course, this one where the Wicked Witch blames Dorothy for killing her sister. I downloaded many of them but I probably won’t use them all. I hope you like them, as I wouldn’t want to impute my actions on someone else.

If you share this post via Twitter, you will receive a sexy bonus picture related to today’s word.

Please share your comments. I’m sure we would all like to read them.

Have a great day.

Brought to you by Merriam-Webster, Word of the Day.

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Categories: Richard Verry Word of the Day Writing

Tags: Assign Blame blame Impute Keep Calm unjust Word of the Day

Happy Thanksgiving America

Richard Verry November 24, 2016 No Comments

“An Awkward Justice League Thanksgiving”

Happy Thanksgiving America

Source: comicmix.com

Today, America is celebrating the national holiday Thanksgiving Day. It’s a day commemorating the coming together and helping one another to survive and prosper.

It is my sincere wish, that everyone, all around the world, give thanks to their neighbors and strangers. With all of us, working together for the common good, we can do anything. Nothing is impossible, everything is possible. It’s all in the attitude.

Happy Thanksgiving day.

p.s. If you share this on Twitter, you’ll be treated to a special, sexy Thanksgiving Wish.

Have a great day everyone.

Source: newselusivetightly.dtiblog.com

Categories: Richard Verry

Word of the Day: protocol

Richard Verry November 24, 2016 No Comments

Word of the Day: protocol

Source: http://techspiro.blogspot.com/

Protocol (noun) PROH-tuh-kawl

Definition

1 : an original draft or record of a document or transaction

2 : a preliminary memorandum of diplomatic negotiation

3 : a code prescribing strict adherence to correct etiquette and precedence

4 : a set of conventions for formatting data in an electronic communications system

5 : a detailed plan of a scientific or medical experiment, treatment, or procedure

Source: keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

Examples

“A protocol that arose from Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, research has led to U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of a biological drug for the treatment of a certain form of lung cancer.” — USA Today, 1 Oct. 2016

“Throughout Obama’s first term, critics described him as naïve, particularly in the area of foreign relations—so ignorant of practical realities that he didn’t even understand the symbolic protocols of a state visit. In 2009, when he bowed to Emperor Akihito, on a trip to Tokyo, he was referred to on the far right as ‘treasonous.'” — Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2016

Did You Know?

In Late Greek, the word prōtokollon referred to the first sheet of a papyrus roll bearing the date of its manufacture. In some instances, it consisted of a flyleaf that was glued to the outside of a manuscript’s case and provided a description of its contents. Coming from the Greek prefix prōto– (“first”) and the noun kolla (“glue”), prōtokollongave us our word protocol. In its earliest uses in the 15th century, the word referred to a prologue or preface and also to a record of a document or transaction. In the late 19th century, it began to be used in reference to the etiquette observed by the Head of State of France in ceremonies and relations with other dignitaries. This sense has since extended in meaning to cover any code of proper conduct.

Source: computer.howstuffworks.com

My Take

As a software engineer, programmer and network technician, I live and breathe protocols. In fact, I see the entire world as an intricate pattern of protocols. Every interaction between two things, objects, animals, and people involves protocols.

Think about it. In western culture, shaking hands is protocol when solidifying a deal. In Europe kissing each other on the cheek is a protocol as a greeting or salutation. In the U.S. kissing on the cheek is less common outside the immediate family. In Japan, people bow to each other in a sign of respect when greeting each other.

Explaining the NFL’s concussion protocol

Source: sbnation.com

In the wild, if you watch the social interactions of a lion pride, you’ll note that there is a pecking order or protocol. A stag will fight another stag to protect his territory from others and to maintain the social order of his does.

In the health industry, there are protocols on everything, right down from triaging an injury to documentation on a case. The NFL recently instituted ‘Concussion Protocols’ to mitigate serious injury in players. Society has protocols on everything, from public nudity to waste recycling to which side of the road one must drive.

Source: naturalhealthprotocol.com

Have you ever dated a person who while during a date will interrupt your conversation to take a call, text or otherwise disrupt the evening? I’ve even heard of people answering their phones & text messages while in the midst of having sex. What kind of shit is that? Leave the phone down and enjoy your partner. The caller/texter can wait.

Then of course, are all the protocols involved with just using a cell phone. Thousands of protocols are used to connect you to your friend or relative, regardless of whether they are in the next room or across the globe. I won’t go into all of them but please believe me, there are a lot.

If you share this post via Twitter, you will receive a sexy bonus picture related to today’s word.

I love learning the different contexts of these words of the day. Do you? Please share your comments. I’m sure we would all like to read them.

Have a great day.

Brought to you by Merriam-Webster, Word of the Day.

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Categories: Richard Verry Word of the Day Writing

Tags: concussion Concussion Protocol NFL Protocol Word of the Day

A note of appreciation

Richard Verry November 23, 2016 No Comments

Every Way We've Tried To Fix Email (And Why It's Not Working)

A note of appreciation

Source: lifehacker.com.au

Good afternoon all you fans. I write to you today as a frustrated writer who may now see the light at the end of the tunnel. Why do you ask?

Since August, most of my posts have failed to make it to my email followers. While it royally sucked, the resolution may be in the works.

The publishing company that handles distribution of my posts to all of my followers uploaded a patch to server yesterday. This company handles all distributions, including social media as well as my email subscribers. So far, two days in a row, my email followers have received my posts. Whoo hoo!

However, I must admit, I am still hesitant to say that they fixed the problem. Only time will tell.

One good thing that came out of all this. I was forced to find a simple type of post that followers would like to read, rather than just the same only ‘buy me’ crap that often happened. That is when I stumbled upon the Word of the Day feature. It’s a hit as I have received many positive responses to my posts. Most of the responses tell me that they particularly like the ‘My Take’ portion, which I love doing, and it doesn’t take a whole lot of time. Time that I am using to writing my next story.

Source: epthinktank.eu

So, be on the lookout for my next novel, that I hope to publish next month. It’s tentatively called ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ The story is inline with the ‘Her Client’ but with many differences as well. If you liked any of my previous novels, you’ll love this one.

Now, a big thank you to everyone who is buying my books. Sales for the ‘Her Client’ series is phenomenal, as well as I have seen an increase in sales of my other books ‘The Taste of Honey,’ ‘Broken Steele,’ and ‘The Breakup.’ A big thank you to each and every one of you who bought and read them. Please, do me a favor. Write a review on the site from where you purchased the book(s). It would to a lot of good to get the word out.

Thanks for being patient with my publicizing problem. And, oh, by the way, winter is still here. Snow is on the ground as we had a record snowfall on Sunday, blowing the old record away by 300%. Wow. Now, if I could only blow away my sales by 300%, I could retire and write full-time. Hey, it’s all up to you, the reader. Thank you for your support.

Categories: Authors BDSM Books Broken Steele Her Client Trilogy Mona Bendarova Adventures Richard Verry The Taste of Honey Writer Writing

Tags: amwriting broken email broken steele Her Client The Breakup the taste of honey

Word of the Day: Kafkaesque

Richard Verry November 23, 2016 No Comments

Relativity July 1953 Woodcut 28.2x29.4cm

Word of the Day: Kafkaesque

Source: 2012thetrial.wordpress.com

Kafkaesque (adjective) kahf-kuh-ESK

Definition

: of, relating to, or suggestive of Franz Kafka or his writings; especially : having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality

Examples

“Dealing with the Kafkaesque health system, for example, would be enough to make anyone ‘agitated, aggressive, irritable or temperamental.'” — Logan Jenkins, The San Diego Union Tribune, 27 July 2016

“I think the ultimate nightmare is for you to get into a Kafkaesque situation where you know you haven’t done anything wrong . . . but for some reason you are not listened to and you are not being believed.” — Lee Child, quoted in The Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 Oct. 2016

Did You Know?

Source: whynameitthat.blogspot.com

Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was a Czech-born German-language writer whose surreal fiction vividly expressed the anxiety, alienation, and powerlessness of the individual in the 20th century. Kafka’s work is characterized by nightmarish settings in which characters are crushed by nonsensical, blind authority. Thus, the word Kafkaesque is often applied to bizarre and impersonal administrative situations where the individual feels powerless to understand or control what is happening.

My Take

Source: westkengibbsgreen.wordpress.com

When I first saw the Word of the Day by Merriam-Webster, I said to myself, WTF? I mean, why create a word associated with a person. Granted, Kafka is not just any person. He was a gifted communicator of the bizarre and complex.

Then I went about and searched for images. I found a plethora of them, thousands. Some I recognized, most I did not. Once again, I found products using the word in either their marketing efforts or the company name. I found lots of artwork and books on the subject. And let’s not forget the numerous cartoons.

You know what? I like bizarre. I like complex. I like to make logical appear illogical as well as the reverse. My stories tend to border on the bizarre but nothing on the order of Kafka.

When you boil it all down, I don’t know what to make of the word. I doubt I’ll use it in conversation or in my stories, but at least I am aware of the word and the meaning behind it. What do you think?

If you share this post via Twitter, you will receive a sexy bonus picture related to today’s word.

Have a great day.

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Categories: Richard Verry Word of the Day Writing

Tags: Kafka Kafkaesque Word of the Day

Did you know?

Richard Verry November 22, 2016 No Comments

Licensed from Adam Radosavljevic

Did you know?

Human lips have a reddish color because of the great concentration of tiny capillaries just below the skin.

Categories: Richard Verry

Tags: did you know Fun fact red lips

Word of the Day: nictitate

Richard Verry November 22, 2016 No Comments

Word of the Day: nictitate

Source: unknown

Nictitate (verb NIK-tuh-tayt)

Definition

1 : to close and open quickly : to shut one eye briefly : wink

2 : to close and open the eyelids

Examples

“Dermaq’s third eyelids nictitated over his corneas as though to wash away the image, and momentarily he looked away, then back at his superior.” — Charles L. Harness, Firebird, 1981

“The hump shifted, raised a hairless head of chitinous scales. Almond eyes of burning gold nictitated to life. A broad chest of angular plates swelled with breath.” — Ian C. Esslemont, Night of Knives, 2004

Did You Know?

Nictitate didn’t just happen in the blink of an eye; it developed over time as an alteration of the older verb nictate, which also means “to wink.” Both verbs trace to the Latin word for winking, nictare. The addition of the extra syllable was apparently influenced by Latin verbs ending in -itare, such as palpitare and agitare (which gave us palpitate and agitate, respectively). Today, nictitate has a special use in the animal world. Since the early 18th century, scientists have used nictitating membrane to describe the so-called “third eyelid”: the thin, usually transparent membrane in the eyes of birds, fishes, and other vertebrates that helps keep the eyeball moist and clean.

My Take

Imagine my surprise when I saw this word. I had no idea what it meant, and when I read the definition, I thought to myself wow!

I mean, why have such a big word for ‘Wink?’

Source: ar15.com

As I sat at my keyboard, I tried to figure out ways of using it. Was it an interesting term? It might be to some people. Was it a sexy word? Not to me. Can you image the famous image of Bettie Page nictitating at the base of a Christmas Tree? Or how about Sarah Palin’s nictitate so often imitated by Tina Fey? I also think some people ‘nictitate’ better than others. Case in point, George Clooney vs. Betty White vs. Beyonce? Who’s nictitate is better? It’s a matter of personal preference.

Source: pyramidgallery.com

So I say, let’s just use the word ‘Wink.’

It just doesn’t sound right to me. I don’t see me using the word. I predict that it will disappear from the English language within the next century. What do you think?

I hope you like the images I chose, as well as the sexy bonus pic you will get if you share this post via Twitter.

I love learning the different contexts of these words of the day. Do you? Please share your comments. I’m sure we would all like to read them.

Have a great day.

Brought to you by Merriam-Webster, Word of the Day.

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Categories: Richard Verry Word of the Day Writing

Tags: Bettie Page Betty White Beyonce George Clooney nictitate Sarah Palin Tina Fey wink Wink Magazine Word of the Day

Winter has arrived, the next day

Richard Verry November 21, 2016 No Comments

Winter has arrived, the next day

Source: 7-themes.com

I’m sitting at my desk, writing. Looking out the window, I can tell you, it’s not pretty out there. Not that we got much snow, mind you. It’s that the wind is whipping around, knocking over trash bins, picking up garbage and recyclables and tossing them around the neighborhood. It’s not pretty and I suspect, when it’s all over and done with, I’ll be picking up trash from other people’s homes.

Source: mississauga.com

Yup, today is garbage pickup day. I tried to bring my stuff out to the end of the street, but then brought it all back in. I hadn’t left my barrel out for more than a minute when the wind knocked it over and began tossing around its contents. Even with my back to the wind, my hood up, I was being tossed around like a baby chicken. Enough of that shit, I thought as I brought it all back in, closed the door and poured a cup of coffee.

Ah, coffee! Just what I need to write. Back to the novel. It’s coming along nicely.

Categories: Richard Verry Writing

Tags: garbage pick up day Winter

Word of the Day: meshuggener

Richard Verry November 21, 2016 No Comments

Word of the Day: meshuggener

Source: unknown

Meshuggener (noun) muh-SHUG-uh-ner

Definition

: a foolish or crazy person

Examples

“What kind of meshuggener would apply the small plates concept to Jewish comfort food, which is all about abundance and appetite?” — Tracey Macleod, The Independent(United Kingdom), 16 Dec. 2011

“Whoever decided to remake The Producers in 2005 was a meshuggener. There will certainly not be a remake of The Frisco Kid, a film from 1979—[Gene] Wilder plays a rabbi who rides into trouble in the Wild West. Don’t go there!” — David Robson, The Jewish Chronicle Online, 1 Sept. 2016

Source: thebetzalelgallery.com

Did You Know?

From bagel and chutzpah to shtick and yenta, Yiddish has given English many a colorful term over the years. Meshuggener is another example of what happens when English interprets that rich Jewish language. Meshuggener comes from the Yiddish meshugener, which in turn derives from meshuge, an adjective that is synonymous with crazy or foolish. English speakers have used the adjective form, meshuga or meshugge, to mean “foolish” since the late 1800s; we’ve dubbed foolish folk meshuggeners since at least 1900.

My Take

Alright, I admit it. It was hard finding images related to today’s word without insulting someone. So, please forgive me. I selected what I thought were safe images. They include artwork, cartoons, and a safe banner image.

Source: newhopeinternationalministries

I will admit, as someone who grew up in the New York City metropolitan area, I was introduced to the term early in my life. I have always thought of it as slang, so seeing in in Merriam-Webster’s word of the day shook me up a bit.

I grew up with people who used to insult or ridicule a person or group. That’s not my style. Personally, I have never used the word, except as an exercise in using it in a sentence. I probably won’t ever.

I hope you like the images I chose, as well as the sexy bonus pic you will get if you share this post via Twitter.

I love learning the different contexts of these words of the day. Do you? Please share your comments. I’m sure we would all like to read them.

Have a great day.

Brought to you by Merriam-Webster, Word of the Day.

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Categories: Richard Verry Word of the Day Writing

Tags: foolish. crazy person meshuggener Word of the Day

Winter has arrived

Richard Verry November 20, 2016 No Comments

Winter has arrived

Source: 7-themes.com

After a very hot summer and a mild autumn, winter has finally arrived at my house. Friday and early Saturday, temperatures were in the low seventies. In fact, we broke an all time temperature record on Friday. Now, it’s in the low thirties, snow is covering the ground and wind is whipping it in a fury.

In preparation, last Friday I did all of the household grocery shopping and finished decorating the outside of the house for the holidays. Afterall, I’m done with hanging lights in subfreezing temperatures.

With chores done, I’m back at writing, trying to finish up my latest novel. The storyline magically appeared in my mind October 25. After months of a non-existent creative stream running through my consciousness, it returned with a bang, an entire story begging, no demanding release.

I am consumed with getting it out of my head, into a form you can enjoy it. In the spirit of ‘Her Client’ and ‘The Breakup’, this story follows the ordeals of my heroine as she deals with trials that she inconceivably is forced to deal with.

Source: epthinktank.eu

The book, tentatively titled ‘Trafficking Consortium,’ follows a woman who finds herself caught up in the world of human trafficking. A scourge on our society and a hated subject of my girlfriend, a centuries old élite organization discovers, pursues and kidnaps my protagonist, eventually selling her into a life of slavery and submission. Her new sadistic owner believes there is something special about her, and his consuming desire to have her, overwhelms her before starting to slide into a role of acceptance and submission, only to be shattered by a new demand he places upon her, her body and most importantly, her soul. A demand in which she, must choose between life and death. And don’t be fooled, it’s not an easy decision for her.

I can’t wait to finish this erotic and suspenseful story. If I stay on track, it should be released sometime in the next month. Of course, editing and book cover design may impact that schedule, with the world on the cusp of the holidays.

Thanks for following me. Now, back to the story.

This is Richard Verry, signing off for the time being so I can document my heroine’s fate.

Categories: Books Erotic mystery/suspense Richard Verry

Tags: amwriting consortium novel trafficking writing

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