Well That Explains It!

I knew there had to be an explanation for the problems of my generation and I've finally found it! My mother let me watch Sesame Street and... gasp... The Electric Company! Although the truly diabolical nature of the latter hasn't been exposed yet, it was announced yesterday that the early episodes of Sesame Street are to be released on DVD... but here's the kicker... They're labeled with a warning "that they are intended for grown-ups and may not suit the needs of today's preschoolers."

"The vintage Sesame Street characters couldn't make it on T.V. today," Virginia Heffernan of the New York Times argues. "Just look at Oscar the Grouch, a fellow who lives in a garbage can, gets no help with his obvious emotional problems and shows no ambition to better his station in life."

I always liked Oscar the Grouch myself and I'm not a bum living in a sleezy alley. However, I guess I can blame my burgeoning waist line on Cookie Monster. Read more at NPR.com.

Word of the Day

williwaw
Pronunciation: \WILL-ih-waw\
Function: noun

1 a : a sudden violent gust of cold land air common along mountainous coasts of high latitudes b : a sudden violent wind
2 : a violent commotion

Example Sentence:
The sailors had all heard stories of ships capsized by the williwaws that plagued the strait.

Did you know?
In 1900, Captain Joshua Slocum described williwaws as "compressed gales of wind . . . that Boreas handed down over the hills in chunks." To unsuspecting sailors or pilots, such winds might seem to come out of nowhere -- just like word "williwaw" did some 150 years ago. All anyone knows about the origin of the word is that it was first used by writers in the mid-1800s to name fierce winds in the Strait of Magellan at the southern tip of South America. The writers were British, and indications are that they may have learned the word from British sailors and seal hunters. Where they got the word, we cannot say.

Bushism of the Day

"I don't particularly like it when people put words in my mouth, either, by the way, unless I say it."—Crawford, Texas, Nov. 10, 2007

Follow the president's accidental wit and wisdom on Slate.com.

Word of the Day

ameliorate
ame·lio·rate
Pronunciation: \ə-ˈmēl-yə-ˌrāt, -ˈmē-lē-ə-\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): ame·lio·rat·ed; ame·lio·rat·ing
Etymology: alteration of meliorate
Date: 1767
transitive verb: to make better or more tolerable
intransitive verb: to grow better

Life Lesson #1

I first learned of the Autumn Leaf Special train excursion more than a decade ago. A co-worker at Telos, one Gordon "Buddy" Ward (quite the character by the way), took his better half on the trip each year. My wife and I had discussed going several times but finally made the trip on November 4 in celebration of our nineteenth wedding anniversary. The all day excursion travels 51 miles from Grand Junction Depot in Chattanooga, TN to Summerville, GA where the steam engine is spun around on a turntable for the trip back. We had about an hour layover in Summerville to enjoy the small town scenery and my wife picked up a few antiques from a small shop.

While some of the scenery is less than desireable... I think I saw every junkyard in the area.... the ride is extremely relaxing as the train meanders through the mostly pastoral countryside and historical sites. The train itself is an incredible glimpse into history! The steam locomotive is a consolidation-type #610, built in 1952 by Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton for the US Army. It is hand-fired with soft coal and was one of the last steamers built in the US. We rode in Pullman Cart 97 "Clover Colony" (1920) which was built for "pool service". It has five private compartments and eight semi-private sections and was used in the filming of "Some Like It Hot" starring Marilyn Monroe. The car has been carefully restored to its original 1930's era appearance.

Ah! I almost forgot Life Lesson #1! When I mentioned the beautiful scenic view from the train, my wife commented that it looked very much like our daily commute to our rural southern Tennessee home and she's right. We live in an incredibly beautiful area surrounded by nature and wildlife. We see it everyday and sometimes even curse living so far away from our jobs and shopping and we really shouldn't. It's very easy to take the beautiful things in your life for granted and we've all done it at some point. Just remember to slow down and enjoy the scenery.

Word of the Day

bifurcate
bi·fur·cate
Pronunciation : \ˈbī-(ˌ)fər-ˌkāt, bī-ˈfər-\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): bi·fur·cat·ed; bi·fur·cat·ing
Etymology: Medieval Latin bifurcatus, past participle of bifurcare, from Latin bifurcus two-pronged, from bi- + furca fork
Date: 1615

transitive verb : to cause to divide into two branches or parts intransitive verb : to divide into two branches or parts
— bi·fur·cate \(ˌ)bī-ˈfər-kət, -ˌkāt; ˈbī-(ˌ)fər-ˌkāt\ adjective

Iron Man 05.02.08

Yes, I admit it.... I'm a geek. I played Dungeons & Dragons, read a lot of fantasy/science fiction, and collected comics when I was younger. Incredible advances in computer technology have made comic book (and fantasy novel) adaptations on the big screen truly believable and they put a huge grin on the face of this 38-year old kid. Watching the characters that I read about come to life in such a realistic manner gives me a rush that I haven't experienced since seeing Superman at the theater in 1978.

While some of these movies have been less than thrilling, others like Spider-Man, Batman Returns, and Ghost Rider have remained faithful to the comics with amazing results. I've got to admit that I feel a certain amount of dread when one goes into production. Memories of The Punisher, Fantastic Four, and The Hulk always raise the cynicism quotient but I'm hoping that Iron Man will be a success.

Directed by Jon Favreau, the Paramount and Marvel Studios comic book adaptation features a star studded cast including Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jeff Bridges. Definitely no lack of acting talent and the trailers thus far look amazing and seem to faithfully follow the progression of the armor.

Check out the official site at http://www.ironmanmovie.com/ and don't miss the new international teaser trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYZ3954lqag. Iron Man hits the theater May 02, 2008.

Word of the Day

While absorbing my daily dosage of news, I happened upon this particular word and wasn't familiar with it so I consulted the dictionary. Go figure... It's never too late to broaden your vocabulary!

querulous
quer·u·lous
Pronunciation : \ˈkwer-yə-ləs, -ə-ləs also ˈkwir-\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English querelose, from Latin querulus,
from queri to complain
Date: 15th century
1 : habitually complaining
2 : fretful, whining
— quer·u·lous·ly adverb
— quer·u·lous·ness noun