3 more things about made-up languages

NEWS ITEM The linguist hired for "Avatar" describes the constructed language he created, admits he's the sole fluent user.

• • • Klingon -- Trekker couple tried to raise their son as a native speaker; decided he wanted a normal life instead.

• • • Esperanto -- A language constructed to unify European languages, and George Soros is a native speaker. Dec. 15 is the 150th birthday of its creator. There's a prog-rock band (I own an LP... go figure); the fact their site has English and French versions says a lot about constructed languages.

• • • Elvish -- J.R.R. Tolkien's books inspire obsession over Elves.

3 more things that are weird about the world that are weird about Facebook

NEWS ITEM Mentally ill man attacks a head of state; mentally ill people create a Fan Page.

• • • Oops -- It's a tragedy (in the classical literature sense) when people who desire attention through Facebook get their petards hoisted. It's a comedy (in every sense) to have those captured and collected. New selectivity settings in the privacy protocols might have prevented most of those.

• • • Assassination -- Asking if the President should be killed will have the Secret Service come looking for you. Attitudes that spawn the 2 above citations, make this 1 no less shocking, but not surprising.

• • • Porn -- Note to newbies (this won't be the last time you hear this): Don't click on everything. Anti-porn zealots keep site clean (it's about the commerce); girls just wanna have fun (and make their moms nervous).

3 more things about collecting art

NEWS ITEM Hugh Grant admits his £11 million windfall on a Warhol originated in a drink-infused whimsy.

• • • Nativity scenes -- Creches are art too, sometimes elaborate and intricate examples thereof, and if you value yours ... you're in a world of collectors.

• • • Local markets getting better? -- A view from Oregon on collecting.

• • • He has some nice works -- A plea for spirituality.

3 more updates

REMINDER After the rain, and before the format of this site was set.

• • • Top Chef -- came down to a choice between the 2 brothers, and as with Cain and Abel and the Kaczynski brothers, the younger 1 succeeded. In the latter case, Ted went to prison. In the former, Cain was marked and banished.

• • • Athletes as role models -- Tiger Woods, in the rough.

• • • Lakers -- Kobe, broken finger but still scores 20.

3 more things about golf clubs used as a weapon

NEWS ITEM Early speculation was Tiger Woods was hit with his golf club; reportedly, his SUV windows were smashed out with one in "rescue."

• • • Windshield, unshielded -- Jack Nicholson attacked the car of another motorist with a 2-iron.

• • • Bird, brained -- Pro golfer took multiple attempts before he hit and killed an EPA-protected hawk that was making noise during a TV shoot.

• • • Golf club assault -- 44,000+ hits.

3 more things about health care

NEWS ITEM Something will happen on health care reform, just don't know what exactly yet.

• • • The U.S. spends more and gets less -- The most as a percentage of GNP, 2nd lowest doctor consults and lowest number of hospital beds per capita.

• • • The U.S. is 44th on infant mortality rates -- At #180 out of 224, we're worse than Cuba, better than Bosnia.

• • • The U.S. is #50 on life expectancy rates -- At #50 out of 224, we're worse than Bosnia, better than Cuba.

3 more things about tap water

NEWS ITEM National tap water study released.

• • • Bottled vs. Tap -- This study says tap is equitable.

• • • Reclamation -- Making clean water out of gray water.

• • • Fluoride -- Despite the fact it didn't make the country communist, some people still are against it.

3 more things about ants

NEWS ITEM Bio-mimicry computer program application uses ant behavior as a model for military strategy.

• • • Ant cam -- Watch ants from a safe distance.

• • • Parasitism and mutualism -- When the hollow ant-friendly plants are used up in the ant-created meadows, ants will destroy nearby trees.

• • •Pests-- Argentine super-colonies exist here because neighboring nests aren't enemies. Now, scientists have found the means to trigger aggression between cousins. Similarly, new research shows a nest-absorption phenomenon in army ants.

3 more Senators who aren't who they seem to be

1 more thing More people who aren't who they seem.
So many Sparks.

• • • Bill Nelson -- Not the guitar wizard.

• • • Paul Simon -- Not the genius songwriter.

• • • Fred Thompson -- Not the Olympic gold medalist.

3 more words to describe hyperbole, deflections, lies and distortions

EXAMPLE Justice in the long-ago case of the rape of a young girl isn't the important story. What's important is to dwell on an industry that has a lot of Democrats.

• • • Mucopurulent -- An emission of mucus and pus.

• • • Paranym -- Euphemism; word whose meaning is altered to conceal evasion.

• • • Verbicide -- Deliberate distortion of the sense of a word.

3 more things about painters

NEWS ITEM NYT reports on Frank Auerbach's post-war London paintings, pegged on a gallery exhibit. Pix here.

• • • Damaged painting OK-- Paul Delarouche work survived the Nazis.

• • • Museum pieces -- Joann Tod paints from photos she shoots in museums.

• • • One artist that paints on command.

3 more things about pine trees

NEWS ITEM Rare conifer cut down in arboretum.

• • • Adopt a redwood -- Donors needed to plant seedlings.

• • • Real trees are greener -- So says the public relations manager for the Christmas Tree Association. Go figure.

• • • Long-leaf pines -- Variety could be the tree of the future for their adaptability, longevity and quality of wood.

3 more things photographed underwater

NEWS ITEM Norbert Wu's journey into the Antarctic underworld.

• • • People -- Jolene Monheim evokes Baroque paintings. I don't even want to know how these get lit and how many shots she burns to get the image. Digital photo filtering helps, no doubt; via Photography.ca

• • • Sea Dragons -- Long Beach's Aquarium of the Pacific has a great display of these animals, related to sea horses; foto via ScienceRay.com

• • • Tigers -- These are just cool; via Pravda.

3 more movies that open with a lead character dead already or saying they'll be dead by the time it's over

NEWS ITEM "Lovely Bones" is the tale of a murder victim watching her family and killer.

• • • "American Beauty" -- Kevin Spacey remarks, "Remember those posters that say 'Today is the first day of the rest of your life' ...? Well that's true every day but one."


• • • "Sunset Boulevard" -- William Holden says "That's me floating in the pool."


• • • "Milk" -- Sean Penn narration says the tape he's making is only to be revealed "upon his death by assassination."

3 more mistakes in Google Maps

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CONTEXT Maybe I'm just not paying enough attention.

• • • The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport -- Renamed Bob Hope Airport in 2003.

• • • Gemco -- Not a city just northwest of there, even if there's more cars surrounding this building than people in a small town

• • • Vega -- I think this is pointing to someone's ugly car.