What is the difference between news and gossip? The definition of gossip is that it is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. "Idle talk" - that it self gets my attention.
This immediately becomes deeply philosophical - that's because Heidegger has things to say about idle talk.
Idle talk for Heidegger isn't simply talking about the weather or the local sports team. Idle talk is any content that does not open one's possibilities and instead limits them...The escape from the possibility of death is Heidegger's reason for why we spend so much time in everydayness and idle talk." I found this synopsis HERE - written by Kylie Foster.
So are the articles that categorize themselves as Olympics Gossip - actually gossip? It does not seem so. Mostly rumours and predictions. I did find an article with gossip predictions in sports. And yes, they fit the definition of idle talk and rumour about the personal/private affairs of sports figures.
I guess Heidegger had it right - a way of escape.
There are lots of Olympic rumours - especially cancelled or postponed games. There is the rumour of Aya Nakamura singing Edith Piaf at the Paris Olympics sparking far-right backlash of racist comments. There are accusations of Russia targeting the Games with disinformation and propaganda attacks. And of course, there are rumours about who will be performing at the opening ceremony.
Paris 2024, coming soon.
I found this grunge picture in the older Lightroom database. it has a great sense of irony.
I've been in a world of my own that excluded McDonald's my entire life. In fact, I could say we are worlds apart. But somehow McDonald's has popped up as a topic. It turns out I now have the best of both worlds with all these crazy stories about McDonalds. So today is a short trip through the mashed.com archives of McDonalds rumours, stories, and false facts, and true lies.
What made McDonald's get rid of Ronald McDonald? McDonald's announced its mascot Ronald McDonald would be taking a hiatus in 2016. It followed a disturbing craze which saw pranksters jump out at people dressed as spooky clowns. Some wielded weapons to spread terror and the trend travelled across the globe. This doesn't mean that Ronald McDonald has been 100 percent erased from the brand - Ronald McDonald represents the Golden Arches at least one day out of the year - Thanksgiving and his appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Remember the hot coffee lawsuit that put a "fast" million dollars in Stella Liebeck's hands. "But the reality is actually quite different. Stella Liebeck, the plaintiff in Liebeck vs. McDonald's Restaurants, was not driving, nor was she a scammer. She was sitting in the passenger seat of a stopped car when she attempted to remove the lid off of a cup of coffee she had just ordered. The cup slipped, spilling scalding coffee (around 190 degrees Fahrenheit!) all over her, causing third-degree burns on her lap, buttocks, and genital area. Lieback was hospitalized for eight days, during which she had skin grafts and debridement treatments. She was permanently disfigured as a result of the accident. Initially she only asked McDonald's for $90,000, but McDonald's countered with a paltry $800, so Liebeck rightfully sued. In the end, she was awarded an undisclosed amount (under $600,000) for her pain and suffering."
There is a famous story that their french fries are only one ingredient. "McDonald's sells approximately nine million pounds of french fries every day at its locations all over the world. But contrary to popular belief, McDonald's fries are not a one-ingredient wonder. And while spuds are the main ingredient, there are actually a total of 19 ingredients in their fries, including vegetable oil (comprised of canola, corn, soybean, and hydrogenated soybean oils, as well as milk- and wheat-derived natural beef flavoring), dextrose (for that golden, yellow color), sodium acid pyrophosphate (to prevent color changes when frozen), citric acid (for freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane (to reduce foaming), and salt (for flavor)."
There are dozens of stories about the various rumours of beef and chicken ingredients, many are rumours or false facts about pink slime ingredients, non-dairy milkshakes, non-beef burgers and various strange tales. Find many of them HERE.
Here's a view across Lake Ontario from Beamsville. There's a McDonald's in Beamsville with a very tall sign that one can see while driving along the QEW.
