Reggie Damone just wanted to write down a phone number. So he picked up what he thought was litter on a sidewalk. But what he found was an envelope with a US$185,000 (NT$6 million) check in it.
Damone, 47, works at a McDonald's fast food restaurant. Because his pay is low he gets food stamps from the government. Even though he doesn't have much money he said he did not think about trying to cash the check. Instead, Damone took a bus from his home in Jewett City, Connecticut, US, to a bank. There he returned the check to the niece of the landlord to whom the check was written.
She thanked Damone with a US$50 (NT$1,600) bill.
Damone said that although he knew US$185,000 could pay his rent and other bills for a long time, he was never tempted to try to cash the check.
He says he remembered his mother's words: If you take something, you lose three times that amount - and if you do something good, something good comes back to you.
Showing posts with label Tony. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tony. Show all posts
Monday, February 11, 2008
Article #13 - US diners find a purple pearl in a plate of clams 吃蛤蠣吃到珍珠
A couple in the US was enjoying a plate of clams when they made an unusual discovery: A rare purple pearl.
George and Leslie Brock stopped at a restaurant in Florida last week during a day at the beach. George Brock was about halfway through a dozen clams when he bit the pearl.
Brock's plate of clams only cost US$10 (NT$325). But an expert has said the find could be worth thousands.
"Few are round and few are a lovely color, so this is rare," said Antoinette Matlins, a gem expert. "I think they have found something precious and lovely."
The gems are most often found in a type of large New England clam known for a purple coloring on the inside of its shell.
The couple plan to find out how much the pearl is worth. They'll sell it if it's worth a lot of money.
George and Leslie Brock stopped at a restaurant in Florida last week during a day at the beach. George Brock was about halfway through a dozen clams when he bit the pearl.
Brock's plate of clams only cost US$10 (NT$325). But an expert has said the find could be worth thousands.
"Few are round and few are a lovely color, so this is rare," said Antoinette Matlins, a gem expert. "I think they have found something precious and lovely."
The gems are most often found in a type of large New England clam known for a purple coloring on the inside of its shell.
The couple plan to find out how much the pearl is worth. They'll sell it if it's worth a lot of money.
Article #12 - Thai flight attendants rebel against 'demeaning' TV soap 泰國電視劇引發空服員群起抗議
Thai flight attendants are demanding that a television series they say shows them as sex-obsessed bimbos not be aired.
The high-flying soap The Air Hostess War apparently caused anger in the industry after it opened with a three-day run earlier this month. The show features heated flirtations and petty revenge among the attractive cabin crew, complained the Thai Airways International labor union.
The show's opening scenes of vicious arguing between flight attendants over a handsome pilot was demeaning, said Somsak Srinual, acting president of the union.
Culture minister Khunying Khaisri Sri-aroon will be asked to help pull the program off the air. Representations will also be made to the Channel 5 television station and the chiefs of Thai Airways and the air force, said Somsak.
The layout of the cabin in the TV series clearly represents the inside of a Thai Airways plane, therefore the producers cannot argue that this is a fictional airline, the union leader said.
The series could very well stop young people from entering the industry if they believe the lifestyle is so emotionally draining, he added.
Darichat Jaikrajang, a Japan Airlines flight attendant, said the drama is deeply misleading: "Ability and discipline are far more important than physical beauty if you work as an air hostess.''
Media commentators frequently label Thai television as sensational and say it's willing to scrape the bottom of the social barrel in the hunt for high ratings.
The high-flying soap The Air Hostess War apparently caused anger in the industry after it opened with a three-day run earlier this month. The show features heated flirtations and petty revenge among the attractive cabin crew, complained the Thai Airways International labor union.
The show's opening scenes of vicious arguing between flight attendants over a handsome pilot was demeaning, said Somsak Srinual, acting president of the union.
Culture minister Khunying Khaisri Sri-aroon will be asked to help pull the program off the air. Representations will also be made to the Channel 5 television station and the chiefs of Thai Airways and the air force, said Somsak.
The layout of the cabin in the TV series clearly represents the inside of a Thai Airways plane, therefore the producers cannot argue that this is a fictional airline, the union leader said.
The series could very well stop young people from entering the industry if they believe the lifestyle is so emotionally draining, he added.
Darichat Jaikrajang, a Japan Airlines flight attendant, said the drama is deeply misleading: "Ability and discipline are far more important than physical beauty if you work as an air hostess.''
Media commentators frequently label Thai television as sensational and say it's willing to scrape the bottom of the social barrel in the hunt for high ratings.
Article #11 - The wrong kind of bread 笨蛋，偷錯袋了啦!
A pair of bumbling thieves stole a bag of bread rolls from a restaurant, then one of them accidentally shot his accomplice .
Benjamin Jorgensen and Donna Hayes attempted to rob the Cuckoo Restaurant in Melbourne, Australia on April 1 last year. But they escaped with the wrong kind of dough. The thieves thought that they had stolen AUS$30,000 (NT$833,900), but actually they had picked up a bag of bread rolls by mistake.
But the mistakes did not end there --- Jorgensen, 38, then made for the wrong getaway car. He was carrying a sawn-off shotgun , and he accidentally shot his accomplice, Hayes, 36, in the hip. Jorgensen was caught as he fumbled with his keys to open the car.
Hayes, who was Jorgensen's girlfriend at the time, had to stay in a hospital for a month. Jorgensen has admitted that he was to blame for Hayes' injury. Both admitted carrying out armed robbery at Victoria Court in Melbourne.
Judge Roland Williams compared the thieves to an old silent movie series about bumbling policemen: "I've heard of the Keystone Cops - this is Keystone Robbers," he said. The judge also said that even though the criminals were useless, it didn't make their crime any less serious.
Benjamin Jorgensen and Donna Hayes attempted to rob the Cuckoo Restaurant in Melbourne, Australia on April 1 last year. But they escaped with the wrong kind of dough. The thieves thought that they had stolen AUS$30,000 (NT$833,900), but actually they had picked up a bag of bread rolls by mistake.
But the mistakes did not end there --- Jorgensen, 38, then made for the wrong getaway car. He was carrying a sawn-off shotgun , and he accidentally shot his accomplice, Hayes, 36, in the hip. Jorgensen was caught as he fumbled with his keys to open the car.
Hayes, who was Jorgensen's girlfriend at the time, had to stay in a hospital for a month. Jorgensen has admitted that he was to blame for Hayes' injury. Both admitted carrying out armed robbery at Victoria Court in Melbourne.
Judge Roland Williams compared the thieves to an old silent movie series about bumbling policemen: "I've heard of the Keystone Cops - this is Keystone Robbers," he said. The judge also said that even though the criminals were useless, it didn't make their crime any less serious.
Article #10 - One year on, British village remembers their wild days of looting 英國鄉民趁火打劫！
A year on since a shipwreck off the English south coast, locals are still talking about their wild days of pillaging. But they are keeping mum on who grabbed the best plunder.
The remains of the MSC Napoli cargo ship are still visible off the coast of Branscombe. Debris still occasionally washes up on the beach.
Damaged by storms in the English Channel, the 62,000-tonne container ship was deliberately beached in the bay on Jan. 20 last year.
About a hundred containers fell off the ship and washed up on shore.
Delighted local residents, followed by scavengers from all over the country, went to the beach and spent two days and nights looting booty.
Motorbikes, spare car parts, clothes and make-up were all taken in a crazed treasure hunt.
Plundering the washed-up booty was legal - as long as it was registered with the receiver of the wreck.
Tales about those hours of madness are plentiful. But Branscombe is keeping mum on what happened to the most precious plunder, including 17 BMW motorbikes.
The police have seized two of them, their finders having not reported them correctly, said Alison Kentuck, deputy receiver of the wreck.
Thirteen have been correctly reported and are still in the hands of the finders.
But the whereabouts of the other two remain a mystery.
In the neighboring village of Beer, The Dolphin Hotel's proprietor Darren Clinch has two barrels decorating the bar.
"We picked up the barrels from the beach," he said. "We had fantastic fun, until all those people came. There must have been 15,000 people.
" Work to remove the remaining stern section is expected to begin in April. However, the Napoli's 14-tonne anchor will stay to form the centerpiece of a display marking the shipwreck.
The remains of the MSC Napoli cargo ship are still visible off the coast of Branscombe. Debris still occasionally washes up on the beach.
Damaged by storms in the English Channel, the 62,000-tonne container ship was deliberately beached in the bay on Jan. 20 last year.
About a hundred containers fell off the ship and washed up on shore.
Delighted local residents, followed by scavengers from all over the country, went to the beach and spent two days and nights looting booty.
Motorbikes, spare car parts, clothes and make-up were all taken in a crazed treasure hunt.
Plundering the washed-up booty was legal - as long as it was registered with the receiver of the wreck.
Tales about those hours of madness are plentiful. But Branscombe is keeping mum on what happened to the most precious plunder, including 17 BMW motorbikes.
The police have seized two of them, their finders having not reported them correctly, said Alison Kentuck, deputy receiver of the wreck.
Thirteen have been correctly reported and are still in the hands of the finders.
But the whereabouts of the other two remain a mystery.
In the neighboring village of Beer, The Dolphin Hotel's proprietor Darren Clinch has two barrels decorating the bar.
"We picked up the barrels from the beach," he said. "We had fantastic fun, until all those people came. There must have been 15,000 people.
" Work to remove the remaining stern section is expected to begin in April. However, the Napoli's 14-tonne anchor will stay to form the centerpiece of a display marking the shipwreck.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Article #9 - German gas station sells gas at giveaway prices - by mistake 我敢發誓我最便宜
Last week a gas station in Germany accidentally sold gas for next to nothing. Long queues formed, with many customers leaving their beds to get the cheap gas.
A computer error led to the cheap prices. The computer was supposed to increase the price of gas by three cents (NT$1.4) a liter. Instead, its mistake led to customers being charged three cents per liter. Gas prices in Germany are around 1.40 euros (NT$67) a liter.
Erwin Bald, the owner of the gas station in Iserlohn, was not happy.
"Human error was not to blame," Bald said.
"The computer simply misunderstood the instructions keyed in."
News of the cheap gas spread quickly. The error, which occurred late in the evening, cost the owner around 10,000 euros (NT$478,000).
The gas station was closed with the help of the local police after more than five hours.
A computer error led to the cheap prices. The computer was supposed to increase the price of gas by three cents (NT$1.4) a liter. Instead, its mistake led to customers being charged three cents per liter. Gas prices in Germany are around 1.40 euros (NT$67) a liter.
Erwin Bald, the owner of the gas station in Iserlohn, was not happy.
"Human error was not to blame," Bald said.
"The computer simply misunderstood the instructions keyed in."
News of the cheap gas spread quickly. The error, which occurred late in the evening, cost the owner around 10,000 euros (NT$478,000).
The gas station was closed with the help of the local police after more than five hours.
Article #8 - Banknotes harbor flu virus 鈔票是流感病毒的溫床
Forget retail therapy for some relief from that winter cold - a study by Swiss scientists, released last week, revealed that the flu virus can nestle and survive on banknotes for more than two weeks.
Scientists from Geneva's University Hospital were asked by a Swiss bank to carry out the study amid worries that a flu pandemic could be prolonged thanks to the millions of bank notes in circulation, Le Temps newspaper reported. Between 20 and 100 million banknotes change hands each day in Switzerland alone, it said.
The researchers left small samples of the flu virus on used banknotes which were then left at room temperature. Although the virus only survived in most cases for a few hours, certain highly concentrated samples proved resistant for several days.
In the worst case, if the virus was mixed with human mucus on the banknote, it could survive for two and a half weeks, Le Temps said.
"This unexpected resilience of the virus suggests that this sort of inert, non-biological support should not be overlooked in pandemic planning," chief researcher Yves Thomas told the paper.
The team will now do further research to see how much of a factor banknotes might be in flu transmission, though Thomas stressed that the main risks remain airborne transmission and direct human contact.
Scientists from Geneva's University Hospital were asked by a Swiss bank to carry out the study amid worries that a flu pandemic could be prolonged thanks to the millions of bank notes in circulation, Le Temps newspaper reported. Between 20 and 100 million banknotes change hands each day in Switzerland alone, it said.
The researchers left small samples of the flu virus on used banknotes which were then left at room temperature. Although the virus only survived in most cases for a few hours, certain highly concentrated samples proved resistant for several days.
In the worst case, if the virus was mixed with human mucus on the banknote, it could survive for two and a half weeks, Le Temps said.
"This unexpected resilience of the virus suggests that this sort of inert, non-biological support should not be overlooked in pandemic planning," chief researcher Yves Thomas told the paper.
The team will now do further research to see how much of a factor banknotes might be in flu transmission, though Thomas stressed that the main risks remain airborne transmission and direct human contact.
Article #7 - 'China's Next Top Model' airs - after hours 「中國名模生死鬥」
The debut last weekend of China's version of the popular US reality show America's Next Top Model was after prime time as part of new rules against "immoral" entertainment, state media said.
Sichuan Satellite TV, producers of China's Next Top Model, aired the first of 10 weekly installments nationwide last Sunday night at 10:30pm. The time slot was chosen to comply with an October government directive banning reality shows from the prime time period of 7:30 - 10:30pm the Xinhua news agency reported.
Like the US version, the show will follow a group of prospective models as they vie for the favor of judges, airing profiles of individual contestants and how they "worked to overcome obstacles in their lives," Xinhua quoted producers as saying.
Officials last year moved to cut down on "uninspiring and immoral" reality shows, which have increased in China amid popular demand for something other than the typically puritanical fare available on state-controlled media.
The ruling Communist Party's censors particularly targeted China's version of American Idol after the final of the previous year's version of the show attracted 400 million viewers - roughly a third of the population.
Contestants on Happy Boy, as the show was called, were ordered not to cry or scream and to sing only "healthy and ethically inspiring" songs, among other requirements.
"No weirdness, no vulgarity, no low taste," the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television told the organizers of Happy Boy.
Aside from the ban on prime time appearances, the government banned a genre of reality shows in which patients underwent sex-change operations and cosmetic surgery live on television.
Sichuan Satellite TV, producers of China's Next Top Model, aired the first of 10 weekly installments nationwide last Sunday night at 10:30pm. The time slot was chosen to comply with an October government directive banning reality shows from the prime time period of 7:30 - 10:30pm the Xinhua news agency reported.
Like the US version, the show will follow a group of prospective models as they vie for the favor of judges, airing profiles of individual contestants and how they "worked to overcome obstacles in their lives," Xinhua quoted producers as saying.
Officials last year moved to cut down on "uninspiring and immoral" reality shows, which have increased in China amid popular demand for something other than the typically puritanical fare available on state-controlled media.
The ruling Communist Party's censors particularly targeted China's version of American Idol after the final of the previous year's version of the show attracted 400 million viewers - roughly a third of the population.
Contestants on Happy Boy, as the show was called, were ordered not to cry or scream and to sing only "healthy and ethically inspiring" songs, among other requirements.
"No weirdness, no vulgarity, no low taste," the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television told the organizers of Happy Boy.
Aside from the ban on prime time appearances, the government banned a genre of reality shows in which patients underwent sex-change operations and cosmetic surgery live on television.
Article #6 - Close encounters in Texas 德州第三類接觸
Several dozen people - including a pilot, a county constable and business owners - in a Texas farming community insist they have seen a UFO .
Steve Allen, a freight company owner and pilot, said the object he saw last week was 1.6km long and 0.8km wide. "It was positively, absolutely nothing from these parts." While federal officials insist there is a logical explanation, locals swear that it was larger, quieter, faster and lower to the ground than an airplane. They also said the object's lights changed configuration, unlike those of a plane. People in several towns who reported seeing it over several weeks have offered similar descriptions of the object.
Machinist Ricky Sorrells said friends made fun of him when he told them he saw a flat, metallic object hovering about 90m over a pasture behind his home. "It feels good to hear that other people saw something, because that means I'm not crazy," Sorrells said.
Sorrells said he has seen the object several times. He said he watched it through his rifle's telescopic lens and described it as very large and without seams, nuts or bolts.
Major Karl Lewis, a spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing at the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth, said no F-16s or other aircraft from his base were in the area the night of Jan. 8, when most people reported the sighting.
Lewis said the object may have been an illusion caused by two commercial airplanes. Lights from the aircraft would seem unusually bright and may appear orange from the setting sun.
"I'm 90 percent sure this was an airliner," Lewis said. "With the sun's angle, it can play tricks on you." One man has offered a reward for a photograph or videotape of the mysterious object.
Steve Allen, a freight company owner and pilot, said the object he saw last week was 1.6km long and 0.8km wide. "It was positively, absolutely nothing from these parts." While federal officials insist there is a logical explanation, locals swear that it was larger, quieter, faster and lower to the ground than an airplane. They also said the object's lights changed configuration, unlike those of a plane. People in several towns who reported seeing it over several weeks have offered similar descriptions of the object.
Machinist Ricky Sorrells said friends made fun of him when he told them he saw a flat, metallic object hovering about 90m over a pasture behind his home. "It feels good to hear that other people saw something, because that means I'm not crazy," Sorrells said.
Sorrells said he has seen the object several times. He said he watched it through his rifle's telescopic lens and described it as very large and without seams, nuts or bolts.
Major Karl Lewis, a spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing at the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth, said no F-16s or other aircraft from his base were in the area the night of Jan. 8, when most people reported the sighting.
Lewis said the object may have been an illusion caused by two commercial airplanes. Lights from the aircraft would seem unusually bright and may appear orange from the setting sun.
"I'm 90 percent sure this was an airliner," Lewis said. "With the sun's angle, it can play tricks on you." One man has offered a reward for a photograph or videotape of the mysterious object.
Article #5 - A pricey bit of graffiti 高價的塗鴉
The graffiti in the picture has been sold. The wall was painted by British graffiti artist Banksy. It was sold on eBay for ￡208,100 (NT$13.16 million) last week.
The painting shows an artist putting the finishing touches on a large red painting of the real artist's name - Banksy.
The art appeared in September on the wall in Portobello Road, Notting Hill, west London. Banksy got some men to put up scaffolding so that no one could see what he was doing.
The piece was sold by Luti Fagbenle who owns the wall that the graffiti was painted on. The sale attracted 69 bids. The buyer now has to pay to move the work of art and replace the wall.
A representative for Banksy confirmed that Banksy had painted the piece. The representative said that Banksy won't comment on the sale.
Banksy, originally from Bristol, western England, has attracted a global following with his graffiti paintings on the walls of London buildings.
The painting shows an artist putting the finishing touches on a large red painting of the real artist's name - Banksy.
The art appeared in September on the wall in Portobello Road, Notting Hill, west London. Banksy got some men to put up scaffolding so that no one could see what he was doing.
The piece was sold by Luti Fagbenle who owns the wall that the graffiti was painted on. The sale attracted 69 bids. The buyer now has to pay to move the work of art and replace the wall.
A representative for Banksy confirmed that Banksy had painted the piece. The representative said that Banksy won't comment on the sale.
Banksy, originally from Bristol, western England, has attracted a global following with his graffiti paintings on the walls of London buildings.
Article #4 - Fan sues Yankees over steroids 球迷怒控洋基球員用禁藥
A longtime baseball fan is suing the New York Yankees over some players' reported use of performance-enhancing drugs. The fan says he wants repayment for US$221 (NT$7,100) in tickets along with a public response from his once-beloved team.
"I look at it almost as consumer fraud," said Matthew Mitchell, 30, a Brooklyn resident who said he went to his first game at Yankee Stadium in 1984. "If I'm going to watch a baseball game, then I expect it to be the real thing."
The Yankees declined to comment.
The paralegal filed his lawsuit in Brooklyn last week, less than a month after former US senator George Mitchell released a report linking 85 Major League Baseball players - including 20 current and former Yankees - to illegal use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.
Matthew Mitchell wants repayment for tickets to five games between 2002 and 2007. They include Game 2 of the 2003 World Series, in which pitcher Andy Pettitte led the Yankees to a win.
Pettitte was named in the steroids report, released Dec. 13. He has since admitted he used human growth hormone (HGH) to recover from an elbow injury in 2002. Baseball banned HGH in January 2005. Pettitte has said he used it to heal faster, not to enhance his performance, and stressed that he never used steroids.
Mitchell said he filed the lawsuit mainly because he wanted team representatives "to be forced to come down and answer my claim." A court date is set for Feb. 20.
"I look at it almost as consumer fraud," said Matthew Mitchell, 30, a Brooklyn resident who said he went to his first game at Yankee Stadium in 1984. "If I'm going to watch a baseball game, then I expect it to be the real thing."
The Yankees declined to comment.
The paralegal filed his lawsuit in Brooklyn last week, less than a month after former US senator George Mitchell released a report linking 85 Major League Baseball players - including 20 current and former Yankees - to illegal use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.
Matthew Mitchell wants repayment for tickets to five games between 2002 and 2007. They include Game 2 of the 2003 World Series, in which pitcher Andy Pettitte led the Yankees to a win.
Pettitte was named in the steroids report, released Dec. 13. He has since admitted he used human growth hormone (HGH) to recover from an elbow injury in 2002. Baseball banned HGH in January 2005. Pettitte has said he used it to heal faster, not to enhance his performance, and stressed that he never used steroids.
Mitchell said he filed the lawsuit mainly because he wanted team representatives "to be forced to come down and answer my claim." A court date is set for Feb. 20.
Article #3 - Helicopter, dog squad needed to break up wild party 直昇機和警犬隊出動制止瘋狂派對
An Australian teenager threw a wild party while his parents were away. Now he could face a big fine.
More than 500 people turned up to the party earlier this month in Melbourne. Some of them ended up going on a rampage.
Police cars were hit with glass bottles and nearby houses were damaged. At least 30 officers, a helicopter and the dog squad were needed to break up the party.
No one was arrested.
Now Australian police say it will be hard to prove who caused the damage, which was close to A$20,000 (NT$579,000). But the 16-year-old boy who threw the party might be responsible.
"He needs to learn a lesson," said Victoria state police commissioner Christine Nixon.
The boy said he had no regrets about throwing the party. He even said he would throw another party the weekend after if his parents weren't due home.
Police said that when the boy's parents learned of the party, they were horrified.
More than 500 people turned up to the party earlier this month in Melbourne. Some of them ended up going on a rampage.
Police cars were hit with glass bottles and nearby houses were damaged. At least 30 officers, a helicopter and the dog squad were needed to break up the party.
No one was arrested.
Now Australian police say it will be hard to prove who caused the damage, which was close to A$20,000 (NT$579,000). But the 16-year-old boy who threw the party might be responsible.
"He needs to learn a lesson," said Victoria state police commissioner Christine Nixon.
The boy said he had no regrets about throwing the party. He even said he would throw another party the weekend after if his parents weren't due home.
Police said that when the boy's parents learned of the party, they were horrified.
Article #2 - Police speak German to dogs 英警用德語指揮警犬
British police dog handlers are learning to give orders to their animals in German. The handlers are working with dogs from Germany.
A trial of the German dogs by Derbyshire Police in east central England worked out. Now 16 other forces have decided to get dogs from Germany too. Each specially trained dog costs ￡2,000 (NT$127,200).
But the dogs cannot understand orders in English. "If you say, 'let go' in English, they just look at you like you are crazy," one dog handler said. Handlers have had to learn some orders in German, including "sitz" (sit), "platz" (down), "aus" (let go), "holen" (fetch) and "bissen" (bite).
A Derbyshire Police spokeswoman said they were trying to get the dogs to respond to English.
"We are repeating the German [orders] in English so they are becoming bilingual," she added.
A trial of the German dogs by Derbyshire Police in east central England worked out. Now 16 other forces have decided to get dogs from Germany too. Each specially trained dog costs ￡2,000 (NT$127,200).
But the dogs cannot understand orders in English. "If you say, 'let go' in English, they just look at you like you are crazy," one dog handler said. Handlers have had to learn some orders in German, including "sitz" (sit), "platz" (down), "aus" (let go), "holen" (fetch) and "bissen" (bite).
A Derbyshire Police spokeswoman said they were trying to get the dogs to respond to English.
"We are repeating the German [orders] in English so they are becoming bilingual," she added.
Article #1 - Salad dodgers fight slummy mummies for Aussie word honor 澳洲字典票選年度生字
A cyberathlete might not suffer boomeritis as he or she is probably a digital native, but could be at risk of globesity, according to Australia's top dictionary.
The Macquarie Dictionary last week asked readers to vote for their favorite new word in the latest annually updated online volume, offering a total of 85 words or phrases.
Most of the words are not specifically Australian, but reflect global trends in fields such as technology, health and what the dictionary calls the social scene.
A cyberathlete is defined as "a professional player of computer games" while boomeritis covers sports-related injuries suffered by baby boomers as they pursue physical fitness programs into their old age.
A digital native is "a person who grows up using digital media and communications systems, and thus has complete familiarity with them," while globesity sums up the worldwide fat phenomenon.
At risk of globesity are salad dodgers - overweight people - and slummy mummies - mothers of young children who no longer take care of their personal appearance, as opposed to yummy mummies.
The overworked mother is unlikely, however, to suffer from tanorexia - "an obsessive desire to have tanned skin, placing the sufferer at risk of skin cancer."
Someone who might have tanorexia would be a person who practices manscaping - "a grooming procedure in which hair is shaved or trimmed from a man's body, as from the back, legs, chest, genitals, etc."
Many of the new words come from technology, with password fatigue being "a level of frustration reached by having too many different passwords to remember." Voting for a favorite word takes place over the last three weeks of January, with the "word of the year" announced in early February.
The Macquarie Dictionary last week asked readers to vote for their favorite new word in the latest annually updated online volume, offering a total of 85 words or phrases.
Most of the words are not specifically Australian, but reflect global trends in fields such as technology, health and what the dictionary calls the social scene.
A cyberathlete is defined as "a professional player of computer games" while boomeritis covers sports-related injuries suffered by baby boomers as they pursue physical fitness programs into their old age.
A digital native is "a person who grows up using digital media and communications systems, and thus has complete familiarity with them," while globesity sums up the worldwide fat phenomenon.
At risk of globesity are salad dodgers - overweight people - and slummy mummies - mothers of young children who no longer take care of their personal appearance, as opposed to yummy mummies.
The overworked mother is unlikely, however, to suffer from tanorexia - "an obsessive desire to have tanned skin, placing the sufferer at risk of skin cancer."
Someone who might have tanorexia would be a person who practices manscaping - "a grooming procedure in which hair is shaved or trimmed from a man's body, as from the back, legs, chest, genitals, etc."
Many of the new words come from technology, with password fatigue being "a level of frustration reached by having too many different passwords to remember." Voting for a favorite word takes place over the last three weeks of January, with the "word of the year" announced in early February.
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