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Spousonomics

The application of economics to explore and improve relationships.

Writing for The Daily Beast, Paula Szuchman and Jenny Anderson offered the following advice for improving one’s sex life – “Make it affordable”:

"Let’s explain. All that stuff about foreplay and romance? That stuff takes time and energy. And if it’s one thing today’s couples don’t have in excess it’s time and energy. We just wrote a book about this very topic. It’s called Spousonomics, and it looks at ways economics can help people improve their
relationships."


Source:

"How Can Economics Improve a Marriage? Ask the Authors of Spousonomics", by Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics, NYTimes

The Daily Beast

Schott's Vocab

Googleganger

A person who has the same name as you, and whose online references are mixed in with yours when you run a Google search on your name. Blend of: Google-ganger. [Google + doppelgänger]

Example Citations:
The point is, when you Google yourself, it's a bit of a blow to your ego when you discover that: A) your name isn't unique, and B) other people have done more with it than you. These are your so-called Googlegangers, from the German "doppelgänger."
Casey Phillips, "Reflections in an online mirror," Chattanooga Times Free Press, April 16, 2010



Source: WordSpy

Terminology in the changing world of translation

After the success of the first conference in 2010, this year TermCoord has decided to start the series of conferences with one that will give to the translators the opportunity to acquire a clear knowledge of the role that terminology can play in the EU’s legislative procedure. For this first conference entitled “Terminology in Legislative Procedures”, two professors will deal with two aspects: terminology as part of multilingualism and terminology on the web. This conference will take place on Monday, 28th of March in the Schuman Hemicycle, European Parliament, Luxembourg.



Programme of the Legal Conference

Terminology Coordination European Parliament

New buzzwords! Sheeple, buzzkill, cheeseball

Automagically: Automatically in a way that seems magical.

Bargainous: Costing less than expected.

Big media: Primary mass communication sources, e.g., TV and the press.

Buzzkil: Person or thing that has a depressing effect.

Carbon credit: Permit allowing a certain amount of carbon dioxide emissions.

Carbon offsetting: Counteraction of CO2 emissions with a corresponding reduction.

Catastrophize: To present a situation as worse than it is.

Cheeseball: Lacking taste or style.

Chillax: To calm down and relax.

Eggcorn: Logical swap of words with similar sounds (from "egg corn" for "acorn").

Flyover states: Central regions of the U.S.

Frenemy: Friend with whom one has frequent conflict.

Gal pal: Female friend.

Green audit: Analysis of a business' environmental impact.

Green-collar: Of or relating to workers in the environmentalist business sector.

Hater: Negative person.

Homeshoring: Moving jobs to employees' homes (from "offshoring").

Hypermiling: Altering a car to max…

Sputnik moment

A Sputnik moment is a point where people realise that they are threatened of challenged and have to redouble their efforts to catch up.


Obama followed his Energy Secretary Steven Chu in declaring that the United States stands at a new "Sputnik moment" in the development of such technologies as clean energy and high-speed rail. The idea has been percolating for several years now: Robert J. Samuelson of Newsweek and Mort Zuckerman of U.S. News & World Report both used the expression in 2005. It's unclear whether Americans listening to Obama will be moved by the historical reference, particularly those too young to appreciate the threat that the Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite represented during the Cold War era. Obama continued the aeronautical allusions by referring to new energy innovation projects as the "Apollo projects of our time."

Sources: Using English
"Commander in Speak: Parsing Obama's Speech", CBSNews

"Choice Words from the S…