6:18PM - ahhhh-CHOOO!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC895gNtVS8
Current mood: 
amused
amusedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMN2v1drlXI
nostalgicAustin, TX November 29, 2009 – The Global Language Monitor has announced that Twitter is the Top Word of 2009 in its annual global survey of the English language. Twittered was followed by Obama, H1N1, Stimulus, and Vampire. The near-ubiquitous suffix, 2.0, was No. 6, with Deficit, Hadron the object of study of CERN’s new atom smasher, Healthcare, and Transparency rounded out the Top 10.
“In a year dominated by world-shaking political events, a pandemic, the after effects of a financial tsunami and the death of a revered pop icon, the word Twitter stands above all the other words. Twitter represents a new form of social interaction, where all communication is reduced to 140 characters,” said Paul JJ Payack, President of The Global Language Monitor. “Being limited to strict formats did wonders for the sonnet and haiku. One wonders where this highly impractical word-limit will lead as the future unfolds.”
The Top Words are culled from throughout the English-speaking world, which now numbers more than 1.58 billion speakers.
The Top Words of 2009
Phrase Comments
1. Twitter — The ability to encapsulate human thought in 140 characters
2. Obama — The word stem transforms into scores of new words like ObamaCare
3. H1N1 — The formal (and politically correct) name for Swine Flu
4. Stimulus — The $800 billion aid package meant to help mend the US economy
5. Vampire — Vampires are very much en vogue, now the symbol of unrequited love
6. 2.0 — The 2.0 suffix is attached to the next generation of everything
7. Deficit — Lessons from history are dire warnings here
8. Hadron — Ephemeral particles subject to collision in the Large Hadron Collider
9. Healthcare — The direction of which is the subject of intense debate in the US
10. Transparency — Elusive goal for which many 21st c. governments are striving
11. Outrage — In response to large bonuses handed out to ‘bailed-out’ companies
12. Bonus — The incentive pay packages that came to symbolize greed and excess
13. Unemployed — And underemployed amount to close to 20% of US workforce
14. Foreclosure — Forced eviction for not keeping up with the mortgage payments
15. Cartel — In Mexico, at the center of the battle over drug trafficking
The Top Phrases of 2009
Phrase Comments
1. King of Pop –Elvis was ‘The King;’ MJ had to settle for ‘King of Pop’
2. Obama-mania — One of the scores of words from the Obama-word stem
3. Climate Change — Considered politically neutral compared to global warming
4. Swine Flu — Popular name for the illness caused by the H1N1 virus
5. Too Large to Fail — Institutions that are deemed necessary for financial stability
6. Cloud Computing — Using the Internet for a variety of computer services
7. Public Option — The ability to buy health insurance from a government entity
8. Jai Ho! — A Hindi shout of joy or accomplishment
9. Mayan Calendar — Consists of various ‘cycles,’ one of which ends on 12/21/2012
10. God Particle — The hadron, believed to hold the secrets of the Big Bang
The Top Names of 2009
Name Comments
1. Barack Obama — It was Obama’s year, though MJ nearly eclipsed in the end
2. Michael Jackson — Eclipses Obama on internet though lags in traditional media
3. Mobama — Mrs. Obama, sometimes as a fashion Icon
4. Large Hadron Collider — The Trillion dollar ‘aton smasher’ buried outside Geneva
5. Neda Agha Sultan — Iranian woman killed in the post-election demonstrations
6. Nancy Pelosi –The Democratic Speaker of the US House
7. M. Ahmadinejad — The president of Iran, once again
8. Hamid Karzai — The winner of Afghanistan’s disputed election
9. Rahm Emmanuel — Bringing ‘Chicago-style politics’ to the Administration
10. Sonia Sotomayor — The first Hispanic woman on the US Supreme Court
The analysis was completed in late November using GLM’s Predictive Quantities Indicator (PQI), the proprietary algorithm that tracks words and phrases in the media and on the Internet, now including blogs and social media. The words are tracked in relation to frequency, contextual usage and appearance in global media outlets, factoring in long-term trends, short-term changes, momentum and velocity.
The Top Words of the Decade were Global Warming, 9/11, and Obama outdistance Bailout, Evacuee, and Derivative; Google, Surge, Chinglish, and Tsunami followed. “Climate Change” was top phrase; “Heroes” was top name.
contemplativeIt was about 12:30 p.m. on this day in 1963 that President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. It was the first successful assassination of an American president since 1901, and the only presidential assassination ever caught on film. Almost every American alive at the time remembers where they were when they heard the news.
The Warren Commission published a report concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in shooting the president, a conclusion that less than half of all Americans believe. Don DeLillo wrote the novel Libra (1988) about the Kennedy assassination, and he wrote in an essay: "What has become unraveled since that afternoon in Dallas is … the sense of a coherent reality most of us shared. We seem from that moment to have entered a world of randomness and ambiguity."
Randomness and ambiguity? I can agree with that.
contemplativeThis guy staggers into his house, exhausted after playing golf, and drops his clubs on the floor. "What a day!", he exclaims. His wife asks what happened. He responds, "Well, there we were on the first tee, when George had a heart attack and died."
"Oh, how awful."
"Yeh, the whole rest of the day it was: Hit the ball ... drag George ... hit the ball ... drag George. ..."
contemplative
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
mischievousQ:What is the difference between hypertension and bagpipe music?
A: Hypertension is the silent killer.
contemplativeThe hollow winds begin to blow,
The clouds look black, the glass is low;
The soot falls down, the spaniels sleep,
And spiders from their cobwebs peep.
–Dr. Edward Jenner (1749–1823)
contemplativeHow I learned to mind my own business
I was walking past the mental hospital the
other day, And all the patients were outside
shouting, '13...13...13.'
The fence was too high to see over, but I
saw a Little gap in the planks, so I looked
through to see What was going on...
Somebody poked me in the eye with a stick!
Then they all started shouting
'14...14...14'...
contemplativehttp://columbus-day.z12.net/2009.php
contemplativeThe great thing about democracy is that it gives every voter a chance to do something stupid.
-Art Spander
contemplativeA tough old cowboy told his grandson that the secret to long life was sprinkling a little gunpowder on his oatmeal every morning.
The grandson did this religiously and, sure enough, lived to the ripe old age of 96. When he died, he left behind 7 children, 28 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren, 3 great-great grandchildren and a 15-foot hole in the wall of the crematorium.
amusedYou Are Peaceful and Passive |
 You are an accommodating, diplomatic person. You know there is good and evil in everyone. You try to live with things as they are. You know there's a lot in this world that you can't change, and you're fine with that. You are a supportive and honest person. You expect people to accept you just as you accept them. You are willing to take time and let things unfold. You are never in a rush. |
contemplativeMom is out of the hospital. Yay.
Mom has been moved to a different facility for some Physical Therapy for an unspecified amount of time. Crud.
Gonna be heading over there in a few minutes to see what the situation / setup is. She's not thrilled about not being at home yet. Can't blame her much....
Until later.........
Mister Owl
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