Word of the Day: Roundelay

Power ballads might have cheesy connotations, but we all know it's the only music we'd be embarrassed in the shower for. Pick who you like; a bit of Adele, Gaga or Aretha will earn you no respect in the karaoke booth - but it's only yourself you're trying to impress anyway, right? Today's word of the day is a tribute to what ballads are not: roundelays, or short, simple songs with refrain.

There is something to be said for the short, simple song that packs a lot of punch. Not all songs have to be sung a la Christina or Mariah (for the good of the general population, it is indeed imperative that the majority of us try not to sing them this way). Indeed, simplicity is such a memorable and beautiful tactic in so many disciplines that is hard to see why anyone would try so hard to complicate things. Yet if there weren't awful complicated songs, there would be no respite for them, and perhaps no American Idol. The world would suffer.

Or would they?

Word of the Day: Dimidiate

Guilty/not guilty. In love/not in love. Employed/not employed. Why does the answer have to always be one or the other? The world is split in half by those who think in white or black, or 50 Shades of Grey; just like our Word of the Day, dimidiate, or split in two.

The idea as to whether there is an absolute truth in any situation is always a complex one. Ask it: emotions get riled up all over the show, especially if you ask it in relation to personal truths. Does the fact that a philosopher was a Nazi unquestionably affect the merit of his ideas? Is cheating acceptable or not? Is it socially acceptable to politically segregate people based on their sexuality? General answers will be complex and subjective; but the fire behind the answers is not.

Why, when we finally agree on something, do we not have the fire inside us to fight against it?

You can't run a country like a business.

Word of the Day: Cinquecento

Sundays are the days that roll around like its sleepers in the morning, stretching out feelers for things to do. A lazy day, Sundays sometimes demand that you add a little spice in your life - being the only day that most people truly have free. The question is: what can add value? For those feeling the fat fastening to their middle regions, a trip to the park might be in order. For the foodies, a trip to the latest-reviewed restaurant. For the rest of us feeling a lapse in the cultural side of things, a museum or gallery fits the bill. Musing along the hallowed hallways of many a tormented soul, we can bring home sights and words that delight our dinner guests and give us an elegant edge. Words like our word of the day: cinquecento: an Italian style of art or artist of the 16th Century.

For those readers who believe they are above visiting a place to add to their image, I would love to believe you. Do you tag yourself in eateries or clubs, become lured by labels or price tags, or have the use the exact cutlery for the cuisine you are crunching? Yes, most people are unknowing casualties of consumer culture. Yet, I'm sure most of us would still agree on wishing we were in the 16th Century in the face of what some channels perceive as Italian art, these days.

Jerseycento just doesn't have quite the same ring.