The history of animal activism is littered with idiotic stunts by people who clearly don’t actually know that much about the animals they profess to love – stunts which more often than not backfire spectacularly. Last year, vegan nutcases stole a goat from a Victorian farm; in short order, the
The word for today is… prerogative (noun) – 1. An exclusive right or privilege held by a person or group, especially a hereditary or official right. 2. The exclusive right and power to command, decide, rule, or judge. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : In ancient Rome, voting at legal assemblies was
The word for today is… prehensile (adj) – 1. Able to seize, grasp, or hold, especially by wrapping around an object. 2. Having a keen intellect or powerful memory. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : You may be familiar with prehensile from the animal world: monkeys have prehensile tails, elephants have prehensile
The Police are winning over the criminal fratenity one maligned group after the other. First, they stopped doing the catch bit of their previously signalled catch and release programe by ceasing police pursuits. Now they’ve stopped the annual dope harvest thus ensuring that cannabis prices on the street will
The word for today is… posthumous (adj) – 1. Occurring or continuing after one’s death. 2. Published after the writer’s death. 3. Born after the death of the father. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : The etymology of the word posthumous tells a complex story. In Latin, posterus is an
Sir Bob Jones nopunchespulled.com Poking about in my library’s extensive drama section, an oddity given my derision for the theatre but I have books on everything, lo and behold I came across a copy of a (back then), the much vaunted New Zealand play, “The Tree”, written by
Yet another bent copper has been before the courts for serious dishonesty offences. Police poster-girl Melissa-Mae Ruru has been found guilty of defeating the justice system: A Rotorua policewoman and a champion boxer found guilty of cheating the justice system have been sentenced to home detention. Melissa-Mae Ruru, 36, and
The word for today is… paucity (noun) – 1. Smallness of number; fewness. 2. Scarcity; dearth. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Here’s a little information about paucity: the word was first recorded in English in the 15th century, and it comes to us from the Latin paucitas (“smallness of number”
The word for today is… opprobrium (noun) – 1. Disgrace arising from exceedingly shameful conduct; ignominy. 2. Scornful reproach or contempt. 3. (Archaic) A cause of shame or disgrace. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Opprobrium was borrowed into English from Latin in the 17th century. It derives from the Latin verb
While 2020 was a year to forget for many, for a lot of our Kiwi race car drivers, it was a bit of a good-un. Scott Dixon won his sixth Indycar Championship, Shane Van Gisbergen won Bathurst then jumped in a rally car and wrapped up on this side of
The word for today is… omnibus (noun) – 1. (a) A large horse-drawn public conveyance, especially of the late 1800s. (b) A long motor vehicle for passengers; a bus. 2. A printed anthology of the works of one author or of writings on related subjects. (adj) – Including or covering many things
righttolife.org.uk Israel’s abortion rate has continued a 32-year decline as the number of women seeking an abortion fell from 18.6 per 1,000 in 1988 to 8.4 per 1,000 in 2019 for women between the ages of 15 and 49. According to new data
Michael Cook mercatornet.com Michael Cook is the editor of MercatorNet International surrogacy is often reviled as a system in which Western, mostly white people, exploit the bodies of women in underdeveloped countries, who are often women of colour. A typical feature in the media will display images of poor,
The word for today is… lucrative (adj) – Producing wealth; profitable. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Paying, gainful, remunerative, and lucrative share the meaning of bringing in a return of money, but each term casts a different light on how much green you take in. Paying is the word for jobs
Hilary Marland University of Warwick Catherine Cox University College Dublin Mad, bad, or dangerous to know? How can we understand the criminal mind and the commission of crimes? Are these prompted by wickedness and the desire for gain or revenge, or by the workings of a disordered mind? Such dilemmas
The word for today is… idiopathic (adj) – Of, relating to, or designating a disease having no known cause. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Idiopathic joins the combining form idio- (from Greek idios, meaning “one’s own” or “private”) with -pathic, a form that suggests the effects of disease. The combining
