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Have you noticed, "cool" loses it's cool when everyone knows where it's at? That's why we need "cool hunters". Is the market crazy, or just me? When "cool" is "hot", it has to cool down before it can heat up again. I remember when I was a kid, "cool" was a very rare thing. And it wasn't a person, "it" was an it. Then certain people became "cool", and they became "it". Of course, it wasn't long before Madison Avenue caught on, and soon everything became "it" Now hardly anyone can find "cool" any more. But that's not a problem 'cause now we've got "cool hunters" who can find "it" for us. Ain't "it" grand! "It" makes the world go 'round and 'round In a niminey-piminey-merry-go-round. :) Like many design blogs, Apartment Therapy acts as cool hunter and arbiter.http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/27/garden/27blog.html?oref=loginWe're editing the huge morass of information and stuff out there and trying to find the cream," said Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, 38, who runs Apartment Therapy with his brother, Oliver Ryan, 36. The site attracts more than 10,000 visitors a day, Mr. Gillingham-Ryan said.Hot Off the Web: Gossip and Design GuidanceNew York Times, Sunday, January 30, 2005
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posted on behalf of Dr. Bill [wwh]:
Cool. An interesting word, much overused.
PBS had a couple hours by Arthur Clark(not positive of
first name) about an small Italian duchy about in middle
of Adriatic coast, that he said had the most advanced
civiliztion that ever existed. In ten volume "Story of
Civiliation" by Will Durant, he tells how in their
tournament, the highest honors went to contestant who
won with least exertion. This seems to me the earliest
record of the concept of 'cool'.
But 'cool' can have a price. My younger brother started
smoking in imitation of a cousin who was 'cool' and smoked
with elegant manners.
Now my brother is unable to walk up a flight of stairs
because of COPD - chronic obstructive pulmanary disease.
A high price to pay for appearing 'cool'.
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"When everyone knows good as good, this is not good." Tao Te Ching, Cleary translation.
It seems to be a natural trend.
Irony:
Tie-dyed at the mall.
Deadhead stickers on Cadillacs.
Nirvana wins a Grammy.
The hip-hop look in the suburbs.
'Cool' is nothing but a target market.
Cool, desublimated.
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"When everyone knows good as good, this is not good."
Reminds me of an old maxim in the stock market. When everyone is convinced that a stock can go nowhere but up, it can go nowhere but down. This is because there are no buyers left. Classic market tops are made on climactic volume. I guess the same thing applies with "cool", Aorto. When everyone thinks it's "cool", it isn't "cool" any more.
There is a legend that Joe Kennedy, father of John F. et al, sold all his stocks before the stock market crash in 1929 when the shoe-shine boy gave him a tip in the high-flying stock market of that time.
Joe Kennedy was as cool as a cucumber. Which makes me wonder why a cucumber got picked for this distinction. Why not a watermelon? A watermelon is a lot cooler than a cucumber on a hot day.
re "'Cool' is nothing but a target market." True, but it's a moving target. And when it stops moving it ends up at Target. :)
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<Which makes me wonder why a cucumber got picked for this distinction. Why not a watermelon? A watermelon is a lot cooler than a cucumber on a hot day.> My gut reaction, which some gardening /literary historian (or more dedicated researcher!) will probably prove to be wrong, is that this is a traditional British English phrase which predates watermelons in the English-speaking world. I know you can grow cucumbers across a lot of the UK without a cold-frame, whereas I have no knowledge of UK-grown watermelons. Alternatively, a quick google pulled up a couple of links: http://www.vocaboly.com/forums/ftopic1884.htmland http://www3.telus.net/jennybr/origins.htmlwhich appear relevant even if somewhat speculative. And the image which springs to mind of an elegant lady having a facial with slabs of watermelon over her eyes rather than cucumber slices is rather appealing!
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the image which springs to mind of an elegant lady having a facial with slabs of watermelon over her eyes rather than cucumber slices is rather appealing!What is it about cucumbers, I wonder? There are "cucumber facials" and "cucumber cleansers". Here's a recipe for a "cucumber facial mask". Cucumber Facial Mask1 tbsp instant nonfat dry milk 1/2 peeled cucumber 1 tsp plain yogurt Put all ingredients into a blender and mix well until smooth. Apply to your face (avoid your eyes). Leave on for 15-20 minutes, then rinse off. Mix a fresh batch for each use. Here's something you can do with a watermelon you can't do with a cucumber, Bridget. You can spit the seeds across the room. The world record is 68 feet, 9 1/8 inches.Some folks like to eat the seeds. Others like to spit 'em out (the world record is 68 feet, 9 1/8 inches). Still others prefer their watermelon with hardly any seed at all—the recent triploid introductions. But one thing unites them in their diversity: love of watermelon. What a potent symbol for our age! Or at least for summertime, when everything seems good and right in the world.And there is even a watermelon-vinaigrette dressing. Father Steve might be interested in that. http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:QPV27vYOk-cJ:www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/kitchen/2001su_watermelon.
html+watermelon+facial&hl=en
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Watermelon Vinaigrette Dressing (as ordered)
Ingredients:
2 Tbs seedless raspberry jelly
1/4 c. watermelon puree
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
dash ground white pepper
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Procedure:
1. Melt the jelly in a small saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, place enough chunks of seeded watermellon in a blender or food processor to make 1/4 cup puree. Process with the minced garlic. Strain the results.
3. Allow the melted jelly to cool slightly, add the strained puree, the vinegar and ground pepper. Whisk the olive oil into the mixture until emulsified. Chill before serving. Whip before service, if the dressing separates in the fridge.
Makes almost half a cup.
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I was just watching a TV bloopers show, and there was a clip of a local news team--right here in Louisville, I mean--during the 2000 Olympics. They cut briefly to their correspondent in Sydney, and said they were ready to try sampling Vegemite in her honor. Now, I have tried that stuff courtesy of my friend Jo, so I didn't need their comment that "it looks like tar" to guess what was coming. The lady tried it first, then made a face and said, "Get the camera off me". You could hear her telling her two male counterparts that it was the worst stuff she had ever tried. They, to their regret, ignored that comment, and both proceeded to take huge bites out of their bread-and-Vegemite. One of them actually spit it out on-camera, and just before the camera cut away, you could see the second guy reaching for the wastebasket. That was hilarious!
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and this disparagement for a fine food from the nation of junk-food jacks with a jones for filthy muck like 'peanut butter and jelly sandwiches'!! sheeeeesh.... ;(
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Carpal Tunnel
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Peanut butter and jelly sammiches--yum! For the unitiated, Vegemite tastes and looks rather like I imagine, oh, grub worms would be if you ground them up wet, let them rot till they were literally black, and then added some mucilage to thicken it...
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