Follow-ups

One of the best weird news stories came out after my recent post. In case you missed it:

"Blue M&Ms may reduce spine injuries. (July 28) -- The same blue food dye found in M&Ms and Gatorade could be used to reduce damage caused by spine injuries, offering a better chance of recovery, according to new research. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that when they injected the compound Brilliant Blue G (BBG) into rats suffering spinal cord injuries, the rodents were able to walk again, albeit with a limp."

Here's the kicker: "The only side effect was that the treated mice temporarily turned blue." Now here is a product that would sell! Imagine the sales spike around Halloween. I think they should market this product for people who want to "temporarily turn blue," and just note in the fine print that a side effect is that it might cure spinal injuries.

Here is the link if anyone wants to read the technical details: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/07/mm-gatorade-spinal-cord-injury.html

Another new word that should make the dictionary: Textapottamus: n, A person who texts too much on the golf course (related to shankapottamus). Example: "Hey, your on the tee textapottamus!"

My cousin Terry recently referred to herself (and husband Larry) as "grandparents without grandchildren" in reference to aging and lifestyle. I tried to find a new dictionary word for this demographic phenomenon, but the best I could come up with was the acronym GWOG. So if the pre-grandchildren aging baby boomers start to be referred to as GWOGs in the media, remember you heard it here first. Thanks Terry!

Movie update: I watched Casablanca this week and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am impressed how tight the dialogue is in some of the better classic old movies. The plot moves along crisply, and every sentence advances the story. And there is still plenty of nuance to read between the lines. Thanks to all who recommended this film in my poll.

Weird News Week

The mainstream news seemed unusually odd this week. Could just be a slow time of year, but it sure beats the heck out of the stream of body counts from deserts halfway around the world. Here are a few items that caught my eye:

Taco Bell Dog Dies. Gidget passed away from a stroke this week at the age of 15. She played the male role best known for the quote "Yo Quiero Taco Bell?" From CNN: "Roles were hard to come by for the pooch after her popularity soared from the Taco Bell ads, according to her trainer. 'She was kind of typecast, so she never really got much work after that." While she did land a role in Legally Blonde 2 and was an extra in Beverly Hills Chihuahua, her trainer apparently thinks the Taco gig stunted her acting career. Seriously??

Electronic Cigarettes Pose Health Hazard. Shocking. And I somehow missed this invention. So I looked it up. According to Wikipedia: "An electronic cigarette or 'e-cigarette' is a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vaporized propylene glycol/nicotine solution. This vapor also provides a flavor and physical sensation similar to that of inhaled tobacco smoke, while no tobacco, smoke, or combustion is actually involved. Smoking an e-cigarette is also known as vaping. Some users of the e-cigarette may refer to regular tobacco cigarettes as analogs." The last part is my favorite. Vaping should have been in my proposed new words list last post, but now it may be lethal.

I am always intrigued by space news, and there was some good stuff this week:

Moon Dust. The WSJ ran a feature on Moon dust (dirt), and how different it is compared to Earth dirt. We have toted back 227 pounds of the stuff, which is not nearly enough to satisfy research demand. Apparently, you need to a apply to a special NASA committee to get or examine any of this treasured dust. One expert estimates our research needs for this stuff reaches 5000 lbs.! And the first moon-walkers supposedly messed up several pieces of machinery in the lunar lander when they tracked it in on their shoes. Their mothers must have been very embarrassed.

4oth Anniversary of Lunar Landing. Major event in U.S. history that some of us are lucky enough to remember. Anniversary spawned many interesting feature stories this week (like moon dust). But I can't seem to shake this thirst craving I'm having for Tang.

Total Eclipse of the Sun. The longest solar eclipse of this century occurred earlier this week...in Asia. The western hemisphere was totally shut out. Over six minutes in the best spots in India/China. Very cool, and the world did not come to an end as some always predict. One writer noted how it is a no-win proposition to predict the end of the world. Everyone is around to remind you if you are wrong, but no one will be able to give you credit if/when you are right.

There were also a couple of uncommon events in the sports world, along with a couple of interesting news items:

Uncommon: 1) White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle throws a perfect game. Only the 16th occurrence since 1900. 2) Tom Watson leads The Open Championship (aka The British Open) after 71 holes. At age 59, he would have been the oldest winner of a major if he could have just parred the last hole. It was fun for all of us while it lasted.

Interesting: 1) Lance Armstrong announced he will ride for a new team sponsered by Radio Shack next season. His impressive return to the sport of cycling at the age of 37 (not much different than 59 in golf) will continue for at least one more year. 2) The world's longest golf course, the Nullarbor Links, is set to open later this year in Australia. The par 71 layout covers 848 miles and 18 towns spanning two time zones, and should take 3-4 days to complete. You play one hole, then get in your car and drive an hour or more to the next tee/town. The course is meant to attract tourists to the desolate Eyre Highway in the southern part of the country. Each hole will showcase a local attraction, from whale-watching to ancient fossil beds to a working sheep station. This course should make for some interesting drinking games.

Enough about the news. You know I love to bash companies that come up with lame advertising concepts or slogans. And the automakers seem to be the worst. The latest Ford angle is "Why Ford, Why Now?" Interesting concept...if they could answer the question. Their reason: "Why not?" Great way to differentiate yourself from the competition. Why not? I don't think Ford would like the answers that immediately spring to my mind.

Many thanks to everyone that voted on which non-current movies I should watch next. Readers overwhelmingly suggested Casablanca and Rainman, with When Harry Met Sally far ahead of all others for third. I now have the dvd/tape for Casablanca (thanks Mary) and Rainman, and plan to watch them this week.

One more word, Chillax: to chill or relax. A little clever, but seems unnecessary.

New Words and Le Tour

July. Long hot days, the Fourth of July, and the Tour de France. Absolutely one of my favorite months, and I have really become hooked on the "3-week bike race" over the years. It is nice to have Lance Armstrong back in the saddle. The race is much bigger than any one rider, but his success over the last decade has brought improved television coverage in the U.S.

The race has moved to the mountains this weekend, and riders will start to be sorted out quickly. While Lance is looking strong, most media and casual fans don't realize his role is likely to be one of a helping teammate this year after so many years of being a team leader. This could still change based on how everyone on team Astana performs, but his presence makes the Tour more interesting either way. While Lance rides for a Kazakstan based team, there are two American teams in the race this year: Columbia-HTC and Garmin Slipstream.

Fun fact: Armadillos always give birth to four identical young -- the only mammal known to do so.

New words for Webster's Collegiate Dictionary

Many of you probably saw the brief article about the 100 new word added to the dictionary for 2009. I have always liked words, so I thought I would highlight a few of the new ones that caught my eye:

--Carbon footprint: the amount of carbon emitted by something during a given period.

--Locavore: one who eats foods grown locally whenever possible.

--Staycation: vacation spent at home or nearby.
--Frenemy: one who pretends to be a friend but is actually an enemy.
--Vlog: a blog that contains video material.
--Webisode: an episode especially of a TV show that may or may not have been telecast but can be viewed at a Web site.
--Green Collar: of, relating to, or involving actions for protecting the natural environment .
--Flash mob: a group of people summoned (as by e-mail or text message) to a designated location at a specified time to perform an indicated action before dispersing.

I also found a few interesting ones that were recently added to the Oxford English Dictionary:

Muggle n. In the fiction of J.K. Rowling: a person who possesses no magical powers. Hence in allusive and extended uses: a person who lacks a particular skill or skills, or who is regarded as inferior in some way.
Blamestorming n. A method of collectively finding one to blame for a mistake no one is willing to confess to. Often occurs in the form of a meeting of colleagues at work, gathered to decide who is to blame for a screw up.
Threequel n. The third film, book, event, etc. in a series; a second sequel.
Cyber slacking v. Spending one's employer's Internet and email facilities for personal activities during working hours.
Frankenfood n.Derogatory, a food that contains genetically modified ingredients.
Prebuttal n. A rebuttal for an accusation before it is made.

I especially like Frankenfood. It should be very useful. And lastly, here are a few words that did not make the cut this year:

E-Jacko-lipse, noun: when one famous person's death overshadows the death of other famous people.
Hiking the Appalachian Trail, verb: spending some "alone time" with a friend in Argentina.
Grillfriend, noun: similar to bromance, a grillfriend is a guy you hang around with mainly for his skill at producing delicious, charred vittles.
Palindrone, noun: The sound former Alaskan governors make attempting to justify their strange actions, and it makes no sense backwards either.

KFedup: the reflex you feel when you hear another custody story about Kevin Federline or Britany.
Obamanomics: The over-spending of taxpayers' dollars to gain control of private businesses, and dispense billions to the poor, while over-taxing everyone else (until all are poor).
Intexticated: Driving while texting...the way the driver doesn't pay attention and is swerving all over the road, slowing down or speeding up.
Hopenchange: Vague promises of making the world a better place, followed by doing basically the same thing others before you did.
Snacktivities: Individual or group efforts to obtain non-meal sustenance (e.g. going to DQ).