versatile

Unless we begin to put really smart,

versatile, knowledgeable people in positions of power in Washington,

we have no business remaining a superpower.

vertical

During the most severe thunderstorms, however,

both the vertical thickness and horizontal extent of clouds

can combine to effectively block out most, if not all, sunlight.

distinct

Defenders of the Corporation - of whom there are many -

are fond of quoting the American slogan

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

The BBC "ain't broke," they say, by which they mean

it is not broken (as distinct from the word "broke",

meaning having no money), so why bother to change it?

instinct

When that happens, it is not a mistake:

it is mankind's instinct for moral reasoning in action,

an instinct that should be encouraged rather than laughed at.

punctual

Dwight Eisenhower, usually punctual

and usually smiling on such occasions, was late

and crisply serious when he walked into the Indian Treaty Room

of the old State Department Building

for his press conference last week.

spine

A common mistake when trying to achieve this

is to extensively tense the stomach muscles,

but this creates compression in the lower back

and reduces mobility in the spine.

stimulus

A study by the Centre for the Study of Education Policy

at Illinois State University, published on January 18th,

found that half of American states

will have spent all of their stimulus money

for education by the end of July.

outlook

What about going to Tibet this summer vacation?

Agreed! I long for the outlook there.