July 26, 2009
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
The focus for 2009 will be on terms related to health.
As always, I would appreciate your feedback.
1) Did you find the posting informative?
2) How would you improve this posting?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
July 19, 2009
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
The focus for 2009 will be on terms related to health.
As always, I would appreciate your feedback.
1) Did you find the posting informative?
2) How would you improve this posting?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
July 12, 2009
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
The focus for 2009 will be on terms related to health.
As always, I would appreciate your feedback.
1) Did you find the posting informative?
2) How would you improve this posting?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
July 5, 2009
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
The focus for 2009 will be on terms related to health.
As always, I would appreciate your feedback.
1) Did you find the posting informative?
2) How would you improve this posting?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
July 27, 2008
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
All of the terms examined in 2008 will be in the realm of politics.
Please read the attached pdf posting on the origin of “(Free) Market Economy” to see the results of my research. jim-c-quiz-free-market-economy
As always, I would appreciate your feedback.
1) Did you find the posting informative?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
July 13, 2008
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
All of the terms examined in 2008 will be in the realm of politics.
Please read the attached pdf posting on the origin of “Government Bailout” to see the results of my research. im-c-quiz-government-bailout
As always, I would appreciate your feedback. j
1) Did you find the posting informative?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
All of the terms examined in 2008 will be in the realm of politics.
Please read the attached pdf posting on the origin of “Character Assassination” to see the results of my research. jim-c-quiz-character-assassination
As always, I would appreciate your feedback.
1) Did you find the posting informative?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
July 28, 2007
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
It is almost the end of July, the month that was named after Julius Caesar, but initial research revealed only the most obvious. Per Encyclopedia Britannica, July is the “seventh month of the Gregorian calendar. It was named after Julius Caesar in 44 BC. Its original name was Quintilis, Latin for the “fifth month,” indicating its position in the early Roman calendar.”
This minimal information was hardly satisfactory for a decent word origin posting, so I expanded the topic to the Julian Calendar, which in 46 BC expanded the year to 12 months – Ianuarius, Februarius, Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Iunius, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October, November, and December.
The Romans later renamed Quintilis (originally, “the Fifth month”, with March = month 1) as Iulius (July) for Julius Caesar in 44 BC and Sextilis (“Sixth month”) as Augustus (August) in 8 BC. Other months were renamed by other emperors, but apparently none of the later changes survived their deaths.
The search for an icon or picture to represent July for this week’s posting was not an easy task. A picture of Julius Caesar or a simple picture of the word would have worked, but I wanted to focus on a different aspect – like the temperature. The image of the setting sun seemed perfect, and the Conventional Wisdom section kept the continuity going by focusing on summertime and the heat.
Please read the attached pdf posting on the origin of July to see the results of my research. Of course, I also hope this stimulates your own research, and I would appreciate your feedback.
1) Did you find the posting informative?
2) How would you improve this posting?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
July 14, 2007
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
Being a very curious individual, I have a habit of researching a vast number of items each day just to see if my limited understanding came even close to the actual facts. While looking for an appropriate July topic, it was interesting to note that July is the hottest month of the year in the northern hemisphere. But that didn’t really grab me.
As the panorama of potential topics unfolded, only one – birthstones raised its pretty face or should I say facets. Everyone is aware of their birthstone, because the jewelers have been very good marketers over the past century. The current list of birthstones is as follows:
| January | Garnet |
| February | Amethyst |
| March | Aquamarine or Bloodstone |
| April | Diamond |
| May | Emerald |
| June | Pearl, Moonstone or Alexandrite |
| July | Ruby |
| August | Peridot |
| September | Sapphire |
| October | Opal or Tourmaline |
| November | Topaz or Citrine |
| December | Turquoise or Zircon |
That was easy, but what about the origin of birthstones? That’s a lot harder, because the origin is shrouded in folklore, tradition, and mystery as demonstrated below:
The Conventional Wisdom and Moment of Zen sections are always the hardest – they require some wit and charm. I’m happy with the attached pdf on the origin of Birthstones. As always, I hope this stimulates your own research, and I would appreciate your feedback.
1) Did you find the posting informative?
2) How would you improve this posting?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
July 10, 2007
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
In 1984 President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month, and he also appointed the third Sunday in July as National Ice Cream Day. President Reagan apparently wanted to formally recognize the popularity of ice cream in the United States, where 90% of the population consumes ice cream. He stated that these two events should be observed with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.”
The initial research into the origin of ice cream provided the following information:
Drinking soda water was considered improper during the Victorian age, and many towns banned its sale on Sundays. One druggist in Evanston, IN, reportedly concocted a legal Sunday alternative without the soda that contained ice cream and syrup. To show respect for the Sabbath, he named his creation the “sundae.”
Brain Freeze or “Ice Cream Headache:” The best way to avoid getting this is to keep the ice cream on the side of your mouth and away from the roof of your mouth.
To create the attached posting for ice cream, I wanted to use a vintage image of a little girl licking her ice cream cone – the one I found seemed perfect. The Conventional Wisdom and Moment of Zen sections are always the hardest – they require some and charm. I’m happy with the attached pdf on the origin of Ice Cream – it seems right. As always, I hope this stimulates your own research, and I would appreciate your feedback.
1) Did you find the posting informative?
2) How would you improve this posting?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
