Hello, Herta; another Winnie-the-Pooh; and goodbye, Gourmet. |
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Can't it be November yet? I usually don't like the idea of time flying by, but 2009 has been such a stinker. If you, like me, are just grateful this week is over, I suggest curling up with a cup of hot chocolate (I find it comforting), repeating the mantra, "This too shall pass," and talking about this:
Chronic fatigue syndrome: I can't imagine anything worse than having chronic fatigue syndrome -- a disorder that leaves one feeling exhausted, achy and depressed, for which no doctor has a cure. It's so easy to believe a patient (your mom, a friend, yourself) is "imagining" the disorder. But that may change. This week researchers report that they have found traces of a retrovirus similar to HIV in most patients with the disorder. This would be the first time a biomarker for the disease has actually been found.
Conversation starter: I'm tired and depressed. Anyone want to check my biomarkers?
Ladies of the 2009 Nobel Prize: One glorious day, seeing a woman win awards like the Nobel Prize may be the norm. Helping the cause this year are four female Nobel Peace Prize winners: Ada E. Yonath, who won with two men for chemistry, Elizabeth Blackburn and Carol W. Greider, who won for physiology or medicine, and Herta Muller, who won for literature. (And maybe someday I'll feel no need to note that Muller is by far the most stylish of the bunch.)
Conversation starter: I hear Muller had a 50-to-1 chance of winning. I bet someone cleaned up on that.
After 68 years, Gourmet magazine shuts down: I think the saddest part of this story is that when the news broke, Gourmet magazine editor Ruth Reichl told our food editor Russ Parsons, "Like everyone else, I found out this morning. I can't talk about it now, it's too raw. I've got to pack up my office." And I thought I was having a bad week. ...
Conversation starter: Honorary Gourmet dinner party? We can go to epicurious.com to find recipes.
Is Gen-Y anti-car? Gen Y, are you the coolest generation ever? According to a study by J.D. Power & Associates Web Intelligence Division, it looks as if Gen Y is not that interested in cars. "Generation Y could have the greatest spending power of any generation -- even surpassing that of the baby boomers," said a representative of the company, noting that automakers will have to earn the trust and loyalty of Gen Yers, who are particularly critical of brands and products.This is good news for the mass transit movement, bad news for the auto industry.
Conversation starter: Go, Y!
A Winnie-the-Pooh sequel: There is a new Winnie-the-Pooh book in town, and it was written not by creator A.A. Milne, of course (he died 53 years ago), but by David Benedictus. It is called "Return to the Hundred Acre Wood," and Times writer Marjorie Miller does not like it one bit. I too think it's weird to toy with beloved children's classics ("Where the Wild Things Are" the film -- why?), and frankly I've always found the Pooh crew a little precious for my taste.
Conversation starter: Top favorite kid authors: Go!
Chronic fatigue syndrome: I can't imagine anything worse than having chronic fatigue syndrome -- a disorder that leaves one feeling exhausted, achy and depressed, for which no doctor has a cure. It's so easy to believe a patient (your mom, a friend, yourself) is "imagining" the disorder. But that may change. This week researchers report that they have found traces of a retrovirus similar to HIV in most patients with the disorder. This would be the first time a biomarker for the disease has actually been found.
Conversation starter: I'm tired and depressed. Anyone want to check my biomarkers?
Ladies of the 2009 Nobel Prize: One glorious day, seeing a woman win awards like the Nobel Prize may be the norm. Helping the cause this year are four female Nobel Peace Prize winners: Ada E. Yonath, who won with two men for chemistry, Elizabeth Blackburn and Carol W. Greider, who won for physiology or medicine, and Herta Muller, who won for literature. (And maybe someday I'll feel no need to note that Muller is by far the most stylish of the bunch.)
Conversation starter: I hear Muller had a 50-to-1 chance of winning. I bet someone cleaned up on that.
After 68 years, Gourmet magazine shuts down: I think the saddest part of this story is that when the news broke, Gourmet magazine editor Ruth Reichl told our food editor Russ Parsons, "Like everyone else, I found out this morning. I can't talk about it now, it's too raw. I've got to pack up my office." And I thought I was having a bad week. ...
Conversation starter: Honorary Gourmet dinner party? We can go to epicurious.com to find recipes.
Is Gen-Y anti-car? Gen Y, are you the coolest generation ever? According to a study by J.D. Power & Associates Web Intelligence Division, it looks as if Gen Y is not that interested in cars. "Generation Y could have the greatest spending power of any generation -- even surpassing that of the baby boomers," said a representative of the company, noting that automakers will have to earn the trust and loyalty of Gen Yers, who are particularly critical of brands and products.This is good news for the mass transit movement, bad news for the auto industry.
Conversation starter: Go, Y!
A Winnie-the-Pooh sequel: There is a new Winnie-the-Pooh book in town, and it was written not by creator A.A. Milne, of course (he died 53 years ago), but by David Benedictus. It is called "Return to the Hundred Acre Wood," and Times writer Marjorie Miller does not like it one bit. I too think it's weird to toy with beloved children's classics ("Where the Wild Things Are" the film -- why?), and frankly I've always found the Pooh crew a little precious for my taste.
Conversation starter: Top favorite kid authors: Go!
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