India Ink

Another late day for the Report... I'm afraid I accidentally slept in a bit today and spent quite a bit of the morning feeling like this little guy.  But now I've got a stomach full of terrible work coffee and my eyes are open, at least for a little while.  Great responses to yesterday's soda debate (sodebate?), as Mr. Mueth offered another map and some perspective from "an odd island of soda in a sea of pop."  Tamara, meanwhile, found more examples of Rhode Island-ese, in her attempt to translate PSDS:  "We saw BSNDS at the zoo in Franklin Park. We bought it at CS and Roebuck's. Mother always said, "Don't forget to wash behind your ES." The Boos and GS got to Mantle. PS are a juicy fruit. Crying causes TS. This car VS to the left."

While yesterday we discussed words that divide from within a culture, today, we're discussing words that cross from one language and culture to another.  The BBC has a great article on the Hobson-Jobson dictionary, which catalogs words the English language has borrowed from India.  The origin of "dam(n)" is particularly interesting, but what really surprised me was how many commonplace words have Indian roots.  Of course, words like yoga, jodhpur, sari, and guru come from India, but so many of the words (pyjamas, cot, shampoo, atoll, bandana, etc.) are ones that I've always assumed have long been English, not adopted.  The repetition-based words are also fun to say out loud.  Though you'll probably look silly mumbling "higgledy-piggledy" to yourself at work.
 
And as long as we're looking at items involving Britain interfacing with the world, check out the video that the BBC is using as their Olympics titles.  (NOTE: The link auto-plays a video, so be ready for sound right when you click here.)  The video is a brilliant concept, featuring the Olympics just completely taking over England, from the city to the country.  (Surely better than the Opening Ceremonies where the English countryside takes over the Olympics... Including live animals!)  And even beyond the phenomenal integration of sport to site, the transitions between events and locations is also great.  I'm particularly taken with the diver-to-rower transition.
 
Don't stop thinkin' about tomorrow... Because it will be Friday!  But as you think about that, find some time to think about today, too, and about the 69th birthday of Christine McVie, the Fleetwood Mac member who wrote "Don't Stop," "You Make Lovin' Fun" and other hit songs for the greatest album of all time, Rumours.
 
It'll soon be here!