Word of the Day: Headlong

by PDG Scott McLaughlin | Oct 5, 2019 | The Dictionary Project: Word of the Day

Word of the Day: Headlong

head-long / ˈhedˌlôNG

adjective

1. done suddenly and quickly

As a boy holding to a post or pillar whirls about it with headlong speed without any fear of falling, so perform your worldly duties, fixing your hold firmly upon God, and you will be free from danger.

Ramakrishna, 1836-1886

2. done with the head leading; headfirst

There is a feeling exactly like that one has upon a switchback – of a helplessheadlong motion.

from ‘The Time Machine’ by H. G. Wells, 1866-1946

3. impetuous; rash

Love is the tyrant of the heart; it darkens

Reason, confounds discretion; deaf to Counsel

It runs a headlong course to desperate madness.

John Ford, 1586-1639

adverb

1. rashly; recklessly

He who rushes headlong into love will fare worse than if he had cast himself from a precipice.

Plautus, c. 254-184 BC

2. with the head leading; headfirst

…I leaped headlong into the Sea, and thereby have become more acquainted with the Soundings, the quicksands, and the rocks, than if I had stayed upon the green shore, and piped a silly pipe, and took tea and comfortable advice.

John Keats, 1795-1821

3. without delay; with great haste

When the whole world is running headlong towards the precipice, one who walks in the opposite direction is looked at as being crazy.

T. S. Eliot, 1888-1965

Thank you for including the Dictionary Project in the good work you do in your club. In my club, we have provided Dictionaries for third-grade students for enough years that now we are having former students help us to present dictionaries each year. They are often returning to the same classrooms that they were third-grade students. Teachers plead every year for us to NEVER quit this valuable project. They tell us that students NEED paper books to learn to read, to learn to do research and to do independent study. Please send me pictures of your presentations and tell me about your visits to the schools to give dictionaries to the students. To be included in our newsletter you can send me your stories at DG.2019@5630mail.org.

Word of the Day: Decorum

by PDG Scott McLaughlin | Oct 4, 2019 | The Dictionary Project: Word of the Day

Word of the Day: Decorum

de-co-rum / di-ˈkȯr-əm

noun

1. dignified speech or behavior

When decorum is repression, the only dignity free men have is to speak out.

Abbie Hoffman, 1936-1989

2. a particular sense of order

In golf, the customs and etiquette and decorum are as important as the rules of play.

Bobby Jones, 1902-1971

3. plural, the correct and polite ways in which one should behave

I have a mortal terror at the apprehension of offending against decorums.

from the play ‘The Way of the World’ by William Congreve, 1670-1729

Thank you for including the Dictionary Project in the good work you do in your club. In my club, we have provided Dictionaries for third-grade students for enough years that now we are having former students help us to present dictionaries each year. They are often returning to the same classrooms that they were third-grade students. Teachers plead every year for us to NEVER quit this valuable project. They tell us that students NEED paper books to learn to read, to learn to do research and to do independent study. Please send me pictures of your presentations and tell me about your visits to the schools to give dictionaries to the students. To be included in our newsletter you can send me your stories at DG.2019@5630mail.org.

Word of the Day: Muse

by PDG Scott McLaughlin | Oct 3, 2019 | The Dictionary Project: Word of the Day

Word of the Day: Muse

muse / ˈmyüz

noun

1. in Greek mythology, any of the nine goddesses that preside over the arts and sciences, usually capitalized

The Muse visits during the process of creation, not before.

Roger Ebert, 1942-2013

2. any person or thing that serves as an artist’s inspiration

Once you start being a muse, you cannot stop being a muse.

Carine Roitfeld, 1954-

3. the creative powers of a poet

O! for a muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention.

William Shakespeare, 1564-1616

verb

1. to meditate or become lost in thought

Musing takes place in a kind of meadowlands of the imagination, a part of the imagination that has not yet been plowed, developed, or put to any immediately practical use[…]

Rebecca Solnit, 1961-

2. to ponder thoughtfully

I mused for a few moments on the question of which was worse, to lead a life so boring that you are easily enchanted, or a life so full of stimulus that you are easily bored.

Bill Bryson, 1951-

Thank you for including the Dictionary Project in the good work you do in your club. In my club, we have provided Dictionaries for third-grade students for enough years that now we are having former students help us to present dictionaries each year. They are often returning to the same classrooms that they were third-grade students. Teachers plead every year for us to NEVER quit this valuable project. They tell us that students NEED paper books to learn to read, to learn to do research and to do independent study. Please send me pictures of your presentations and tell me about your visits to the schools to give dictionaries to the students. To be included in our newsletter you can send me your stories at DG.2019@5630mail.org.

Recognizing New Members

by PDG Scott McLaughlin | Oct 2, 2019 | MOJO Blog

As the District Governor, the most exciting event is to welcome new members to our clubs and organization. New members help us to refocus our club’s attention on the items that are important to our mission. New members can bring new energy, with new ideas for our efforts.

Where do you find new members? Review your club demographics and compare it to your community. Does your club represent the same makeup as your community? Who is missing from your community in your club? Does your club represent community diversity? Do you have younger members, women members, minority members?

What is it about your club that is important in your community. Is there a special need in your community that is not being fulfilled that your club can satisfy? Can you match these community volunteers to our Rotary ideals? Is there a special cause, focus or niche (health, education, ECO, etc,) that your club support? Identify these individuals in your community and invite them to join Rotary.

We need to always keep in mind that the lifeblood of our organization is continually growing our membership. We should ask our members what is important to them when we invite them. Everyone has a different purpose for joining Rotary. But just by joining, their membership appetite is not fulfilled by attending a weekly meeting. Have they joined for professional development, business networking, meaningful service opportunities, fellowship or socialization?

We need to make sure that our members are knowledgable about our organization. Do your new members have an opportunity for an orientation? Can you partner new members with existing Rotarians for the opportunity to mentor? Are we offering them value propositions for their membership investment?

New members want to be involved. We need to be clear and provide new members with Rotary expectations right upfront. There should not be any surprises after a member is welcomed.

To this end, I would like to welcome every new member in person when I am invited to your new member induction ceremonies. I have a special pin that I will present when I’m involved and invited. This pin is unique and a conversation starter. Please schedule your induction ceremonies with me so I can recognize and welcome your new members.

Word of the Day: Dive

by PDG Scott McLaughlin | Oct 2, 2019 | The Dictionary Project: Word of the Day

Word of the Day: Dive

dive / ˈdīv, past tense dove / ˈdōv

verb

1. to intentionally jump headfirst into water

Humans are the only creatures with the ability to dive deep in the sea, fly high in the sky, send instant messages around the globe, reflect on the past, assess the present and imagine the future.

Sylvia Earle, 1935-

2. to plunge or drop at a great rate

Clouds are skidding in from the northwest, and the temperature is diving.

from ‘Squirm’ by Carl Hiaasen, 1953-

3. to attend wholeheartedly to something

When you dive into being an entrepreneur, you are making a commitment to yourself and to others who come to work with you and become interdependent with you that you will move mountains with every ounce of energy that you have in your body.

Caroline Ghosn, 1987-

4. to lunge in a certain direction

Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved.

Larry Bird, 1956-

noun

1. the act of jumping into water headfirst

If I do a bad dive, that’s in the past. […] The next dive is a completely separate thing.

Tom Daley, 1994-

2. a sudden decline

I had a few stocks, but stocks took a dive.

Mickey Gilley, 1936-

3. an establishment often considered grungy or of ill-repute

If a band can’t fill the seats and entertain their crowd, grow their crowd, they will forever be playing at dives for pennies, and facing an uphill battle.

Terry Mercer, ?-

Thank you for including the Dictionary Project in the good work you do in your club. In my club, we have provided Dictionaries for third-grade students for enough years that now we are having former students help us to present dictionaries each year. They are often returning to the same classrooms that they were third-grade students. Teachers plead every year for us to NEVER quit this valuable project. They tell us that students NEED paper books to learn to read, to learn to do research and to do independent study. Please send me pictures of your presentations and tell me about your visits to the schools to give dictionaries to the students. To be included in our newsletter you can send me your stories at DG.2019@5630mail.org.