David Zapatka I attend a five-day conference every summer where experts are brought in to speak about a wide variety of topics. This year’s annual gathering had 218 speakers lecturing, hosting interactive gatherings and running tournaments on 308 interesting and entertaining topics. Being a lifelong student, I’m in my element when I can learn from…
Tag: word of the month
Community News, July 2019
Word of the Month: Sarcophagus
David Zapatka Just having toured the Valley of the Kings and Queens in Luxor, Egypt, my mind is filled with hieroglyphic and sarcophagus images. Touring the tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti 1, Seti 2, Ramses 2 and Nefertari, I was astounded by the beauty, artistry, vibrant colors, carvings and intricate work done by these ancient people.…
Community News, June 2019
Word of the Month: Curry
David Zapatka Having spent the past week in Myanmar and India eating fabulous cuisine off the cruise ship, curry dishes are fresh on my mind. I’ve long loved Indian cuisine and all those many curry flavors. I’m impressed by how many different types of curry and varying spices there are. What I’ve learned is curry…
Community News, May 2019
Word of the month: Cenotaph
David Zapatka I’m writing this column as I’m departing from Hiroshima, Japan, on the cruise ship Insignia, part of the Oceania fleet. Having just visited the Atomic Bomb Dome and seeing the memorials to all those who lost their lives, I felt somber and my throat was constricted with the flood of emotions coursing through…
Community News, September 2018
Word of the Month: Fluorescence
David Zapatka I was reading in the Costco magazine about Marvel Studios movies and how they have become so popular when I ran across the word “zeitgeist.” The article read, “10 years ago, Marvel truly exploded into the zeitgeist when the Marvel Cinematic Universe launched with Iron Man.” Zeitgeist – noun zeit·geist ˈtsīt-ˌgīst, ˈzīt- 1. the…
Clubs & Classes, June 2018
Word of The Month: Hoedown
David Zapatka Listening to classical music this morning as I do every morning and evening, I heard Aaron Copland’s familiar Hoe-Down classic. I’ve always thought a hoedown was a country-style social gathering with dance and music. Right on track, the upbeat and catchy Copland tune comes from his score to the ballet Rodeo, which…
Community News, March 2018
Word of the Month: Meme
David Zapatka Reader Kim Park offers a word that has only been in use the past 42 years, meme. Meme – noun ˈmēm an idea, behavior, style or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture. Memes (discrete units of knowledge, gossip, jokes and so on) are to culture what genes are to life.…
Clubs & Classes, December 2016
Word of the Month: Phronesis
David Zapatka Reading Acton Institute’s monthly newsletter this past week, I ran into a word I’m fond of. Reverend Robert Sirico, Acton Institute President, speaks about phronesis, this month’s Word of the Month. Phronesis fits in well with Acton’s mission statement which is “to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and…
Card Games & Sports, November 2016
Word of the Month: Tardigrade
David Zapatka Luz Stella Perotti, friend and science enthusiast, says this month’s word makes her laugh and have a lot of fun. She poses these questions to introduce us to her fun word. “What is the most resilient animal in the world? What living creature can withstand temperatures down to minus 458 degrees F (close…
Card Games & Sports, September 2016
Word of the Month: Proprioception
David Zapatka Have you ever fractured an ankle, leg or hip? Did you find it difficult regaining your balance and full control of your healed joint or limb, maybe instability or possibly even “knowing” exactly where it was? This can be very unsettling. On a dead run last year I stepped into a concrete rain…