New-word Wednesday: hamartia
Author Archives: Dave
Elephants and humans are the only two animals with chins
And Bruce Campbell has the only chin that is the size of an elephant.
New-word Wednesday: proselytize
\PROS-uh-luh-tyz\
To induce someone to convert to one’s religious faith
In this religion, it’s called a jedi mind trick
Geri Halliwell used to date Jerry O’Connell
I’m gonna go all “celebrity gossip” for a change. Celebrity gossip from 10 years ago that is. Today, I learned that Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell used to date Slider Spice Jerry O’Connell, way back in 2003.
Jerry on Geri Action
This was strangely fascinating to me, mostly because I find it hilarious that they’d each be calling out their own name during sex.
Here’s an extract from the aptly named Jerry O’Connell fansite “jerryoconnellfansite.com”:
No problem for Geri Halliwell’s latest flame, actor Jerry O’Connell – he’s reading a copy of her autobiography to make sure he’s up to speed with her exciting life. Now he can find out all about Geri’s time with the Spice Girls, developing bulimia and losing her virginity to “an ex-public schoolboy with a toffy accent”.
I learned two more things from that extract that I wish I could unlearn.
Watch this space for more on the hottest relationships and breakups that everyone was talking about 10 years ago.
Who is Heimlich, the Guy who invented the Maneuver?
So I was listening to the excellent RadioLab podcast recently and they did a special on Henry Heimlich, inventor of the Heimlich Maneuver, who it turns out, is alive. Ya, how about that? I assumed he was dead too.
Henry Heimlich – Still alive and resembling a balder, angrier De Niro.
You can listen to the frankly fascinating feature at the link below, or you can read my simply subpar summary below that.
Click here-ish for the full episode
Heimlich lead quite an interesting early life, but I won’t get into it all here. He was a chest surgeon in the navy, who in the early 70s noticed that choking was one of the highest causes of accidental death in the US at the time. There were yet no effective means at the time for preventing this (despite some people’s attempts, including a vacuum-type machine that would suck the food out.) Heimlich realised that there was enough air in the lungs that, if you compressed it, would force the object out of the mouth.
Shouldn’t have eaten that second red arrow.
He tried it out using a dog (get your pitchforks) and a meatball. The first two tries didn’t work, but the third did. The dog went on to have a happy and successful life, but never ate a meatball again. Heimlich’s maneuver gathered some fame when a regional newspaper ran a feature on the procedure and a man who read the article went on to be the first person on record to use it, saving the life of his neighbour’s wife. Continue reading
Can you play poker in a swimming pool?
Apparently, yes.
Leonard Nimoy opened an exotic pet shop in 1969
I think that pull-quote pretty much sums it up. Apparently Spock’s weak point was… elephants.
Leonard Nimoy’s Pet Pad (what a name) also stocked chipmunks, monkeys, crocodiles, boa constrictors, a South American otter and cats and dogs.
EXOTIC cats and dogs, presumably.
I can’t find any sign of whether or not it’s still there, so if someone lives near Canoga Park in the San Fernando Valley, can you go look for me please?
New-word Wednesday: Triskaidekaphobia
tris-ky-dek-uh-FOH-bee-uh\ noun:
Fear or a phobia concerning the number 13.
She constantly regretted her choice of wallpaper
There are no moles in Ireland
No, St Patrick didn’t drive them out (nor the snakes, as I found out last year), apparently they never made it there at all. Here’s Professor Ian Montgomery from Queen’s University to explain:
“The origin of the Irish mammal fauna is very interesting because the major process is one of glaciation.
“During the last ice age, most parts of Ireland were covered, as was Britain, and as the ice retreated animals from the south moved northwards.
“They moved through continental Europe. They got into Britain, but they didn’t get into Ireland because the sea level rose too quickly.
“As a result, Ireland was left without moles, whereas moles managed to get into Britain.”
He goes on to say that we’re actually missing out on loads of brilliant animals in Ireland, like weasels, some bats and the pygmy shrew. It’s why David Attenborough never comes to visit.
Another side-effect of not having any moles is that there’ll never be an Irish remake of Infernal Affairs/The Departed.
“You are an excellent employee and I trust you implicitly”
New-word Wednesday: Gymnophoria
n. The sense that someone is mentally undressing you.
Finally, a name for Patrick Stewart’s new movie:
