Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

brummagem \BRUM-ih-jum\ ~ adjective

DEFINITION: not genuine : spurious; also : cheaply showy : tawdry

EXAMPLES: Donald knew better than to pay good money for the brummagem watch that was being falsely advertised as a quality Swiss timepiece.

"Just as critics … conceived high culture in some antithetical relationship to 'middlebrow' or 'kitsch,' which imitated the intelligentsia's culture and blurred the distinction between commodity and art, so too, they warned, the spirit of Christianity now had to be preserved from its brummagem versions…." -- From Jason W. Stevens' 2010 book God-Fearing and Free: A Spiritual History of America's Cold War

DID YOU KNOW? "Brummagem" first appeared in the 17th century as an alteration of "Birmingham," the name of a city in England. At that time Birmingham was notorious for the counterfeit coins made there, and the word "brummagem" quickly became associated with things forged or inauthentic. By the 19th century, Birmingham had become a chief manufacturer of cheap trinkets and gilt jewelry, and again the word "brummagem" followed suit -- it came to describe that which is showy on the outside but essentially of low quality. Perhaps the term was something of an annoyance to the people of Birmingham way back when, but nowadays "brummagem" is usually used without any conscious reference to the British city.

~THE REBATE~

Looking at getting replacing your DVD player with Blu-Ray?  Right now you can get a free copy of the 3D version of Avatar on Blu-Ray with the Purchase of a  Panasonic DMP-BDT100 Full HD 3D Blu-ray Disc Player.  The offer is good between 1/02 and 3/26, you will need to mail in the rebate form, filled in by hand, together with your dated sales receipt and the UPC code cut from the package, all the submissions need to be received by April 9, 2011.  I was able to find the lowest price on line for this Blu-Ray player at Amazon for $149.98, however, be sure to call and check your local warehouse clubs like Sam's and Costco who may have even lower prices and you would be able to get it right away.

Hope you are all having a great Wednesday!

C.Q.