Trivia

Some quick trivia!

Q:  What body of water around New York City tested positive for gonorrhea?

A:  The Gowanus Canal.  As Wikipedia notes:  “Once a busy cargo transportation hub, the canal is now recognized as one of the most polluted bodies of water in the United States.”  You can read the Wikipedia entry for more info on the canal’s STD, and for terrific sentences like this:  “Rising gas bubbles betray the decomposition of sewage sludge that on a warm, sultry day produces the canal’s notable ripe stench.”

Q:  How much is Amazon.com refunding me for purchasing Old Age:  A Beginner’s Guide, the witty, hot new book about Parkinson’s disease and growing old in general?

A:  $0.06.  It will appear as a credit on my Visa card statement.

Q:  Many Parkies take the drug Sinemet (carbidopa-levodopa).  Where does the name “Sinemet” come from?

A:  It’s Latin, sine emit,  which means “without vomiting.”  Well, gosh!  Thank you!

Q:  Where does the word “trivia” come from?

A:  It’s also Latin, the plural of trivium, “where three roads meet.”  See picture above.

Q:  If you search for the word “trivia” on etymonline.com, my favorite site for word origins, what related words appear in the search results?

A:   Here’s the entire list:

• trivia
• trivial
• triviality
• trivialize
• faggot

Faggot?  Faggot?  Who you calling a faggot?